Alfred and Yao's Guide to Breaking up a Couple
by Imperial-sama
Summary: Meet Alfred, Arthur, Kiku, and Yao, four close friends. That is, until Arthur started dating Francis Bonnefoy. Not liking the turn of events, Alfred and Yao decide they have to break them up! Will chaos erupt? You bet! USUK, China/Japan, High School AU
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, hello everyone! So, on my poll on my profile, it said people wanted more China/Japan and some USUK, so here it is! This story will have both pairings, but it will mainly focus on USUK. Also, the poll is still open, so you guys can vote! **

**WARNING: There might be some OOCness...and possibly some cussing. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hetalia...at all. However, I do own some cookies I made a couple of days ago. **

Alfred and Yao's Guide to Breaking up a Couple

Chapter 1: So it Begins...

_'It isn't fair.'_ Alfred Jones thought, staring at the Englishman across the room. _'It isn't fair at all.'_

Currently, Alfred and his classmates were in English class, just another part of their daily routine. The teacher was droning on about Shakespeare, not noticing half of the class was spacing out. Alfred sighed again, still staring at the Englishman, also known as Arthur Kirkland. He was once a close friend of Alfred's. However, lately they haven't been seeing each other outside of class.

It all started a few days ago...

* * *

><p>It was a normal day at World Academy W. Alfred and Arthur had just finished their world history class and were walking together to their lockers. It was always like this, after class they would follow each other to their lockers and grab their stuff for the next class. Currently, they were talking about the test they had in world history.<p>

"That test in history was awful!" Alfred sighed. "What did you think about it, Artie?"

"Hm...well, I thought I did pretty well on it, but did you remember who the Seljuks were?" Arthur asked, turning his head toward Alfred.

"If you didn't know who they were, what makes you think I would know about them? I guessed on just about every question." Alfred replied, only making his friend sigh.

"You should really study more."

"Don't worry Artie! A hero will never fail!" Alfred exclaimed, his trademark grin on his face.

"Yeah, the 'hero' won't fail as long as he has his smarter friends he can cheat off of." Arthur teased, smiling. How Alfred loved that smile. The American chuckled before replying.

"Hey, that was only for algebra two and no one gets through that class without cheating at least once."

"Kiku, Yao, and I did get through that class without cheating, thank you very much." Arthur countered.

"Well, maybe, but you guys are all a bunch of kiss-ups."

"Ah!" Arthur exclaimed, giving his friend a playful punch. "No we're not, bloody git. We just know how to study."

"Yeah, you guys certainly know how to spend the whole day cooped up in your rooms. You guys need to chill out once in a while." Alfred said, coming to a halt in front of his locker. Arthur waited beside him while he entered his combination.

"We don't spend all day studying, just a couple of hours a night. You could learn a lot from us." Arthur replied, quirking an eyebrow. Alfred pulled his binders out, chuckling.

"I don't need to study every night. Who needs to do that when you can cram the night before? It's better to work under pressure."

"Nonsense, you will retain more information if you study over an extended period of time, a little each night." Arthur argued.

"Nope, pressure words best." Alfred continued to debate. This was normal for the both of them, debating over anything and everything. Even though Alfred always lost the battles, he enjoyed them because he got to see Arthur's smile.

"Oh yeah? Then state some grounds for your argument."

"Huh?" Alfred questioned.

"Have you even been paying attention in English? We went over this yesterday. State some support for your argument." Arthur replied, rolling his eyes.

"Uh..."

"There, see? You can't even think of grounds for your reasoning. I win again." Arthur said, victorious.

"Yeah, yeah. By the way, do you need to go to your locker?" Alfred questioned, shutting his locker and slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

"Not this time. I have everything I will need in my bag already."

"Isn't that heavy?"

"Not really, I only have three binders in here."

"Do you want me to carry your books for you?"

"Wh-wha? No, you git! I just told you it wasn't heavy!" Arthur stuttered, blushing.

_'He's adorable.'_ Alfred thought, smiling.

The two young men continued to walk down the hall until they reached their usual hangout spot, finding their two Asian friends there already. It looked like they were talking about something. Kiku was blushing and Yao was smiling.

"Yao! Kiku! What's up?" Alfred greeted, waving. Kiku jumped a little bit, startled.

"A-Ah...hello, Alfred-kun." the Japanese man greeted, still blushing slightly.

"Ni hao Alfred and Arthur-aru." Yao greeted in turn, unable to wipe the smile off his face.

"Hm? Did we miss something here?" Arthur asked. Kiku only blushed more.

"Oh nothing-aru. So what did you all think about the test?" Yao asked, trying to steer the conversation away from him and Kiku.

"Hey, don't try to stee-" Arthur was cut off by Alfred.

"That test sucked! I guessed on every question!" Alfred loudly interrupted.

"Honestly-aru, you have to learn how to study." Yao sighed, only earning laughter from Alfred.

"Not you too, Yao! I thought I told you all, a hero will always pass!"

"Yeah, even if 'passing' means straight C's." Yao replied, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, I'm getting an A in gym." Alfred pouted.

"_Only_ in gym-aru." Yao teased.

"Well-" Alfred was interrupted by the bell, signaling the end of break.

"Oh! Time to go to class! Come, Arthur-kun, we don't want to be late!" Kiku said, grabbing the Brit's arm and practically dragging him away. "Good bye, Yao and Alfred-kun!"

"Bye!" Arthur called.

"See you guys later!" Alfred replied while Yao only waved.

Once Arthur and Kiku were gone, Alfred turned to Yao.

"Come on dude! Let's go to art!" he said, already beginning to walk ahead.

"Alright, I'm coming-aru."

The two young men walked side by side for a few moments until Yao decided to break the silence.

"So, when are you going to ask him out-aru?"

Alfred blinked. There was no way Yao could know...

"What are you talking about, dude?"

"You know-aru. When will you ask Arthur out?"

"DUDE! I don't like Arthur that way!"

"Yeah-aru, and I suppose that tree over there will grow legs and start shuffling." Yao said sarcastically, jerking a thumb toward a random tree. Obviously, Yao wasn't buying Alfred's fib.

"Here, I'll ask Arthur out when you ask Kiku out." Alfred said, hoping that would be the end of the conversation.

"Already done-aru."

"What?" Alfred exclaimed, flabbergasted.

"I asked Kiku out-aru." Yao replied.

"Did he say yes?"

"Yeah-aru. We're going to the fair on Saturday. But this isn't about me, it's about you asking Arthur out-aru."

"Dude, I'm not asking him out. Artie and I are just friends." Alfred lied again.

It was true, Alfred did have a crush on his friend, but he couldn't just tell him. What if Arthur didn't feel the same way? He would reject Alfred, and that was something the American couldn't handle.

"Fine-aru, whatever you say. But if you want to ask him out, tell him right away. I've heard some rumors that Francis is planning to ask him out-aru. If the rumors are true, you might miss your chance."

Alfred didn't know how right Yao was.

* * *

><p>Alfred sighed once again, turning his attention to the board. He wished he would've listened to Yao, but how the hell was he supposed to know that Francis would actually ask Arthur out? How was he supposed to know Arthur would accept?<p>

How on earth was he going to deal with his feelings for Arthur now?

Alfred certainly couldn't tell the Brit he liked him now. Not only would it be awkward, but he would be rejected for sure...

"Alfred-aru." someone said, poking Alfred's shoulder.

"Huh?" the American asked, snapping out of his thoughts. He turned his face, only to see the concerned faces of Yao and Kiku.

"Are you alright, Alfred-kun?" Kiku asked.

"Er..yeah, of course I'm fine." Alfred replied, plastering a fake smile on his face.

"Hm...alright." Kiku said, giving him a look that said 'I don't believe you.'

"Come on-aru, class ended." Yao said.

"Oh sorry, guys. You didn't have to wait for me." Alfred reassured, beginning to pack his belongings.

"If we didn't come to get you-aru, no one would've." Yao countered, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, you're been like this all day."

"Are you sure nothing s wrong, Alfred-kun?" Kiku pressed further.

"No, nothing is wrong." Alfred said, a little more sternly then he wanted.

Kiku only sighed before replying.

"Alright, Alfred-kun." the Japanese man replied, deciding not to press his friend further.

"Do you want to go get a bite to eat-aru?" Yao asked.

"Nah, I have too much homework to do. I'll see you guys later." Alfred said, finishing packing up his things and leaving. After Arthur left the group, this was also a normal occurrence, Alfred would always decline hanging out with Yao and Kiku outside of school. Ever since the two Asian men had started dating, Alfred felt like a third wheel. Alfred hated to admit it, but he was jealous of them both. Not only did Yao have the courage to ask Kiku out, but the Japanese man had accepted and now they were happily dating. Ever since Arthur left, the once close-knit circle of friends seemed to disappear.

_'It isn't fair.'_ Alfred thought again, kicking a nearby pebble. Francis wasn't even the right guy for Arthur. He was a player, everyone in the whole school knew that. Hell, he was notorious for breaking hearts and going through partners like used tissue. The Frenchman was probably just using Arthur.

That thought made Alfred's blood boil. If Francis hurt Arthur, then he would be in for a world of trouble. There was no way Alfred would let one of his friends get hurt by the likes of the Frenchman.

Suddenly, Alfred felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Blinking, the American pulled the device out, seeing a new text message from Yao. He opened the text, seeing it read:

**_-Are you alright?-_**

Alfred stared at the screen for a few moments. He wasn't really feeling alright, but he didn't want to dampen Yao's mood. So he responded with a lie.

**_-Yeah, everything's fine.-_**

He pressed send and continued walking home, only for his phone to vibrate again a few minutes later.

_-**You know, sarcasm doesn't work too well via text. I know something is wrong. You haven't been yourself ever since Arthur started to date Francis.-**_

Now Alfred was getting a little annoyed. Yao hadn't noticed something was up until now, so why should they talk?

**_-I wasn't lying. Nothing is wrong.-_**

Alfred sent the text. Hopefully now Yao would stop pestering him.

He was wrong. Alfred's cell phone vibrated again. The American groaned and opened the new text.

**_-I can feel your anger through your texts. You need to talk to someone before your emotions boil over. I'm coming over your house at 5, whether you want me to or not.-_**

Alfred only rolled his eyes and continued walking home, knowing that an argument was useless. Yao was stubborn, and somewhat motherly. If he sensed something was wrong with one of his friends, he would pry until he figured out what was wrong.

Dammit.

Arriving at his house, Alfred walked up to the door and used his house key to get in. His parents were both at work, so he was alone.

Throwing his bag to the floor, he went straight to the kitchen. He needed a hamburger..maybe that would calm him down. He looked in the fridge, scanning it.

_'Crap, no hamburgers.'_

He sighed once again, today just wasn't his day. He glanced at the clock, seeing it read 3:25. He might as well start his homework for the night.

Walking over to his discarded backpack, Alfred unzipped it and pulled out his math homework. He opened the book to the problems they had to do for the night.

**_Use a proof to justify the volume of a sphere._**

...

"Screw this." Alfred said, a sour expression on his face. Math was never his strong suit anyway. He closed the book, placing it back in his bag. He still had a lot of time before Yao arrived.

_'Mine as well take a nap.'_

Alfred walked over to his couch, plopping down on it and drifting to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>Ding dong!<em>

Alfred slowly opened his eyes, blinking to adjust to the light. What time was it? He glanced at the clock again, seeing it was 5:05.

_Ding dong!_

"I'm coming!" Alfred called as walked toward the door. He opened the door, seeing Yao behind it.

"Hey, dude. Come on in." Alfred greeted, yawning after.

"Nihao-aru. How have you been?" Yao asked, walking in and shutting the door behind him.

"I'm fine."

"Liar-aru. Tell me what's wrong."

"Dude! Nothing is wrong! Why on earth do you think something is wrong?"

"First of all, you're being defensive. Second, you have been avoiding everyone, including Kiku and I. Third, you barely talk anymore, just to list a few-aru." Yao said, counting each reason on one hand.

"Dude, what were you doing? Stalking me?"

"No-aru. I just pay close attention to my friends."

"By the way, where's Kiku? Didn't you two have a date or something?" Alfred asked, trying to turn the conversation away from himself.

"Not today-aru. That's Sunday. Right now, he's with Ludwig and Feliciano, but this isn't about him, it's about you. Now what's wrong?"

"You know what? If it'll get you to stop prying, then I'll tell you."

"Good-aru, now what's up?"

"Come sit down." Alfred said, sitting on his couch and patting the seat next to him. Yao took the seat, turning to face Alfred.

"Okay, I just..can't stand Arthur going out with Francis." Alfred started. "He's not right for Artie..."

"Are you saying that because you have a crush on Arthur-aru?"

"I thought I told you, I don't have a crush on him."

"Right-aru. So, in any case you want to break them up?"

"Well yeah, I want them to break up but- Wait...what do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said-aru. I don't like Francis dating Arthur anymore then you do. So, we have to break them up. Do you think Arthur will break up with him?"

"No..."

"Precisely-aru. That means we must break them up."

And from that day on, Alfred didn't feel so alone anymore.

**And...there's the first chapter! What do you all think? Like it? Hate it? **

**Any reviews, comments, favorites, or subscribers are welcome with open arms! Also, if any of the characters are OOC, I apologize. =( I didn't mean to, I promise! **

**Anyway, all of you have a wonderful day now and I'll try to update my stories as soon as possible =)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! I didn't know this story would get so many positive responses! =) I'm glad so many people are interested! So, thank you very much to everyone who reviewed, subscribed, and/or favorited! You all make me so happy ;.;**

**Anyway, enough with my rambling! Here's the next chapter! **

**DISCLAIMER: Do I own Hetalia? NO. I only own the teachers in this story...because I made them up. **

Chapter 2: A Plan Takes Flight

The next day, Alfred walked to school forty minutes early to meet Yao. The Chinese man had suggested an earlier meeting at school to talk about potential plans for breaking Francis and Arthur up.

Currently, he was waiting for Yao to make his appearance. Alfred was waiting in the usual hangout spot, alone. He checked his watch.

7:45. He was ten minutes late.

_'Where is he at?'_ Alfred thought. Usually, Yao was always on time, right down to the dot. The American sighed. He should probably text Yao, who might have forgotten.

Just as he was about to pull out his cell phone, Alfred saw a familiar figure jogging down the hallway.

"Sorry I'm late-aru! Mei and Kaoru were giving me a hard time again."

"Again? Dude, you need to assert yourself." Alfred replied, quirking an eyebrow. Ever since they had first met in middle school, it seemed that Yao was always being pushed around by his younger siblings.

"Well, yeah-aru...but they're so cute sometimes! And besides, I have to show them a good example."

"Dude, they might not even follow your example..."

"Don't crush my dreams-aru."

"Anyway, what did they do this time?" Alfred asked, curious.

"Well...Mei hogged the bathroom again. She claimed that she needed to 'properly do her make up' and Kaoru ate all of the cereal and...gave me this creepy stare-aru."

"Oh come on, dude, you're over-exaggerating. He couldn't have eaten that much."

"Alfred-aru, my family is filled with gluttons." Yao replied dryly.

"Then how come you're not fat Mr. 'glutton'?"

"I don't know-aru! Look, we're getting off track here! We need to talk about Arthur-aru!" Yao said, turning the conversation away from himself.

"Oh...right. So, what do you think?"

"Well...I'm not sure-aru. I was hoping you would have a plan."

"Damn. Well..." Alfred trailed off for a little bit, trying to construct a plan in his mind. After a few minutes of silence, the American spoke up again.

"Well, we could always point out Francis's short comings. I mean, hasn't he been caught cheating before?"

"Yeah he was caught cheating before...but do you honestly think Arthur will listen-aru? Love makes people blind, and he's no exception. He's so deep in so called 'love', that he can't see any of Francis's faults. If we just trash talk his boyfriend, then he'll pull out the defense that we're only saying bad things about Francis because we're not happy for him and that could cause both of us to lose his friendship forever. Well, you want more then that-aru, but the point still stands!" Yao countered.

"Crap, I didn't think of that." Alfred mumbled, not realizing that he hadn't denied the last part of Yao's small rant.

"So, that's out of the question. We could always try to make Francis fail so badly that he would have to go to community school-aru."

"Nah, how would we do that? He may be a man hoe, but he gets good grades."

"We could bribe the teachers-aru."

"...Dude, have you been watching cheesy movies about breaking people up?"

"...Possibly-aru."

Alfred only sighed, face palming. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by the warning bell, symbolizing the start of the five minute passing period between each class.

"Crap-aru. We have to go to world history." Yao sighed.

"Dude, don't you like world history?" Alfred questioned, starting to walk to class with his companion.

"Well, yeah, usually. But I really don't want to hear about the Seljuks again-aru. We just had a test on them."

"Well, you know how Mr. Hans is, going over every single thing in detail. _Every. Single. Thing_."

"Meh. I want to focus on China again-aru, now that was interesting!"

"With all the dynasties? No way!"

"Hey, don't insult my homeland-aru!" Yao said, giving Alfred a playful shove. The American only laughed as they arrived in front of their history room. He opened the door for Yao, teasing him as he did so.

"Ladies first."

"Hmph, more like smarter people first. I wouldn't want you to smack yourself while opening the door again-aru." Yao countered, giving a smirk.

"Dude! That was one time! You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" Alfred pouted as he said the last part.

"Nope!" Yao replied, grinning.

They walked into the classroom, sitting in their seats, which were right next to each other. They began to talk about idle things, sports, upcoming tests, food, and everything in between. They didn't want to risk anyone finding out about their plan, especially Arthur.

With in a few minutes, more people began to enter the room, including Kiku and Arthur. Kiku greeted his friends, talking with them before taking his seat. Arthur, however, didn't exchange one word with his friends, choosing only to walk to his seat.

Alfred looked at his British friend for a moment, he didn't seem sad...just disinterested. The American got up to try to talk to Arthur, but quickly sat back down as the bell rang.

_'Dammit.'_ he thought. He would just have to wait until the end of class to talk to Arthur.

The rest of the period passed by quickly. The teacher, Mr. Hans, lectured about old world civilizations, going through a slide show and making the class copy down notes written on the slides.

He didn't notice half of the class spaced out, Alfred being one of the many.

It was a relief for the class when the bell rang, ending the boring lecture. Arthur quickly packed his things and was about to leave when Alfred grabbed his wrist.

"Hey, is something wrong, Artie?" the American asked.

"No, Alfred. Not at all." Arthur replied, trying to pull away. He seemed like he was in a hurry.

"Alright then, do you want to hang out tomorrow?"

"Oh, no, I can't. I have a date. Maybe some other time."

"Oh. Okay." Alfred let go of Arthur, watching as he ran off. The American's hands curled into fists as he struggled not to punch the nearest person. He couldn't believe it. Arthur had just deserted him, for his boyfriend.

_Again._

_'It's not fair! I was Arthur's friend way before Francis was his boyfriend!'_ Alfred thought bitterly. He just didn't understand why his old friend was acting like this.

"Alfred-kun. Are you alright?" a voice asked.

Said American blinked a couple of times before turning to Yao and Kiku.

"I...could be better." Alfred answered.

"Don't worry, Alfred-kun. I'm sure he'll eventually come around." Kiku reassured, referring to Arthur.

"I hope so." Alfred whispered. Yao patted his friend's shoulder and smiled. The look seemed to say 'you're not alone.'

Alfred only sighed and walked outside with his friends. The trio went straight to their usual hangout spot since they all had their equipment for their next classes.

"Did we have any homework for history-aru?" Yao asked.

"No, Yao. We don't have any homework. Hans-san told us that five times, weren't you listening?" Kiku answered, quirking an eyebrow.

"...No-aru. But who actually was? That lecture was so boring-aru!"

"I was listening..."

Alfred tuned the rest of the conversation out, glancing around the hall. When he saw the familiar face of a certain Brit, the American's eyes lit up as he smiled.

The smile quickly turned into a frown when Alfred saw who Arthur was with.

"Hello, everyone." Arthur greeted, waving.

"Good morning, Arthur-kun. Good morning, Francis-san." Kiku replied.

"_Bonjour_." Francis said, raising his eyebrows.

"Hey-aru. We haven't seen you in a while." Yao greeted. "How is everything?"

"Everything is wonderful." Arthur replied in a dreamy tone.

It made Alfred sick. To think, Arthur, _his Arthur_, was in love with a scumbag like Francis.

"Hey, do you want to hang out tomorrow-aru?" Yao asked, making Alfred's eyes widen.

"Sorry, I can't. Francis and I have a date." Arthur answered. Francis wrapped his arms around the Brit's waist, making Alfred's blood boil.

"Oh? Where-aru?"

"The Paper Crane. I wanted to try it since I've heard great reviews about the food there."

"Ah, I see-aru. So Francis-aru, you're a fan of Chinese cuisine?" Yao directed a question toward the Frenchman.

"Hm? Oh, Chinese food is...okay. No offense, but I believe the French are the true masters of cuisine." the Frenchman commented.

"None taken-aru, but I heard you have to have reservations to get in The Paper Crane. It's a very prestigious restaurant you know."

"_Oui_, _oui_, it is. However, I made our reservations for 8 o' clock sharp." Francis replied, grinning.

"Ah, well, that's good-aru."

Alfred wanted to throw up. Why was Yao doing this? Didn't he know how painful it was for the American to hear about Arthur and Francis's date?

"_Oui_, I am looking forward to it." Francis said, smirking and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. It took all of Alfred's strength not to punch that smirk off of the Frenchman's face.

The bell rang, ending break.

"Well, it's time for us to get going. Good bye, everyone." Arthur said, walking off with Francis before anyone had a chance to reply.

"I should get going as well, Arthur-kun and I have foods together. See you both later." Kiku said, giving Yao's cheek a peck and waving to Alfred before walking off.

"Come on-aru. We have math classes to get to." Yao said, walking together with Alfred to their math classes. Pre cal for Yao and Algebra 2 for Alfred. The American had failed the first semester and needed to retake part of the course.

"Yao, what was that for?" Alfred asked once they were away from everyone else.

"What do you mean-aru?"

"Asking Arthur about his date? Do you know how angry that made me?"

"Sorry-aru. But there was no other way to get information without being too obvious. We gained some valuable information."

"Huh?"

"They're going to The Paper Crane tomorrow at eight-aru."

"Wait. Doesn't Mei work there?"

"You're catching on now-aru. Yes, Mei does work at The Paper Crane. We can spy on Francis and Arthur-aru. Hell-aru, we could even mess with their date."

"But how on earth would we do that?"

"My sister is an employee-aru. We could get uniforms and pretend to be waiters."

"They would recognize us."

"Not with some clever disguises-aru." Yao had a smirk on his face as he said this. "However, we'll have to talk about it later on tonight. We don't have too much time now."

"Yeah I guess not."

"I'll call you later, okay-aru? Until then, farewell." Yao said, walking into the Pre Cal room.

"Yeah, later." Alfred replied.

Sometimes, it was frightening to think how devious Yao could be.

**Bonjour- Hello in French **

**Oui- Yes in French **

**Well, that was the second chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! This will probably be the last chapter for a little bit because I shall be doing...Nanowrimo! Anyone else doing it? Most of my free time will probably go into my novel that I'm supposed to write in a month. But don't worry, I shall never abandon this story! Or any of my stories! **

**=) Anyway, have a wonderful day and remember: reviews, subscriptions, and favorites always make my day!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Guess who's baaaack! I'll give you all a hint: it's not Slim Shady! It's me! Ha ha, all weirdness aside for a moment, I'm back with another chapter for you all! I finally have some free time now that I'm on break for a little bit. **

**As always, thank you to everyone who favorited, reviewed, and/or subscribed! =) I love you all! **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything except for the fictional restaurant I made up.**

Chapter 3: Of Cross-dressing and Family Feuds

"Mei! You told us you guys had waiter uniforms!" Yao fumed, glaring at his younger sister.

"No, I told you we had extra uniforms." the young girl countered, crossing her arms. Currently, the two siblings were bickering in Yao's bedroom. Mei had just bought a uniform from where the worked, The Paper Crane. Unfortunately, the uniform was a dress. A short dress.

Needless to say, Yao was not amused. Of course, this misunderstanding resulted in both siblings arguing.

Looking at this fight from the sidelines was Alfred F. Jones, a self proclaimed hero that wanted his friend and secret crush, Arthur Kirkland back. Together, Yao and Alfred had decided to mess with Arthur's date at the Paper Crane. However, things were not going as well as expected as their plan was already falling apart.

"Oh come on! Just wear the dress, you'll fit!" Mei huffed, rolling her eyes.

"I will not degrade myself like that-aru!" Yao shouted.

"Uhm...Yao?" Alfred timidly cut in.

"Just a second-aru." Yao said, brushing the American off.

"But-"

"Just a minute, Alfred-aru! You are so impatient sometimes-aru..."

Alfred only sighed. Yao and his sister had been at this for twenty minutes now, fighting non-stop. At this rate, it would take a God send to break them up.

Luckily for Alfred, that God send would come in the form of the Japanese man whom Yao was currently dating.

A knock was heard at the door, interrupting the fight for a moment.

"Who is it-aru?" Yao called, looking over his sister's shoulder to look at the door.

"It's me, Yao. I came to get my notes." a soft voice replied, the Chinese man instantly recognizing it.

"Kiku-aru! Come on in!" Yao chirped, not thinking about the dress that was laid out on his bed.

The door slowly opened, revealing Kiku in his school uniform. He stepped in, closing the door behind him.

"Here, I'll get your notes from my backpack-aru." Yao said, running over to said backpack. While he was rummaging through his bag, Kiku greeted Mei and Alfred.

"Hello Alfred-kun. Hello Meimei-chan." he said, smiling slightly.

"Hey dude!" Alfred greeted, slinging an arm around the smaller man's shoulders.

"H-hi Kiku." Mei stammered. Even though the Japanese man was going out with her brother, Mei still had a small crush on Kiku.

Kiku looked around the room, instantly noticing the dress on the bed.

"Oh, Mei, I didn't know you were into cosplaying." he commented.

"Oh, that's not for me." Mei replied, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Oh? Who is it for then? A friend of yours?"

Yao's eyes widened, knowing what Mei was going to say. _'Oh shit-aru.'_

"Nope! It's for Yao-ge!" she chirped, putting on a sweet smile.

"Oh? Is it now?" Kiku asked, looking at the dress once more. "I didn't know you liked to cosplay, Yao."

"Well...er..." Yao stammered.

"We should cosplay together sometime." Kiku interrupted, smiling.

"Really-aru?"

"Of course! You could be Gakupo and I could be Kaito!"

"Huh?"

"Or I could be Miku and you could be Kaito!"

"Isn't Miku a girl-aru?" Yao asked.

"Of course she is. She's also the best Vocaloid out there." Kiku confirmed, showing a rare glimpse oat his otaku nature.

"...Does she wear a dress-aru?"

"Yep!"

"...Let's be Miku and Kaito-aru."

"Okay! We can arrange a date later. There's going to be an anime convention next month, so we should get our costumes together quickly." Kiku said, not realizing Yao's hidden intentions.

"Of course-aru. We can meet tomorrow and talk about our plans then." Yao said, zipping up his backpack. He walked over to his boyfriend, returning his notes.

"Sounds like a plan." Kiku smiled, giving Yao a peck on the cheek before opening the door. "Good-bye everyone." he said, waving before leaving.

After the door closed, everyone just stared at it. Mei's mouth was wide open, while Alfred's eyes were the size of saucers. Yao just stood there with a grin on his face.

"I love my life-aru." he said.

"Uh...so are we going to go through with the plan?" Alfred asked.

"Hm? Of course we are-aru! Don't you want to break Arthur and Francis up-aru?" Yao confirmed.

"So...you're willing to put on a dress?" Alfred asked.

"Of- wait. I never said that-aru! Mei, don't you guys have any waiter outfits?" Yao questioned.

"No! I told you, we only have extra waitress outfits!" Mei shouted, rolling her eyes after. "I've told you that fifteen times already!"

"Oh come on, you have to have an extra waiter's outfit!" Yao said.

"Nope! Look, I can get you guys in. You just have to do my math homework for a week. The manager's out and he put me in charge-"

"Why the heck would he put you in charge-aru? What did you do? Flirt with him?" Yao sassed.

"Ew! Of course not! He's fat and gross, not my type at all!" Mei exclaimed, cringing. "He just knows that I am a responsible individual. If I do a good job, I might even get promoted."

"Tch. As if that'll happen-aru."

"It could happen! Why do you even want to work tonight anyway?"

"Because, Alfred and I need to spy on Arthur's date-aru."

"And why do you need to do that?" Mei asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"We need to make sure Arthur doesn't do anything stupid-aru."

"...Whatever."

"Uh...Yao?" Alfred asked, tapping his friend on the shoulder.

"Hm? What is it-aru?"

"Didn't you say that Arthur's date started at eight?"

"Yeah-aru. Why?"

"Um...it's 7:20 right now...and it takes at least forty minutes to get to the Paper Crane and prepare everything, right?"

"Oh shit-aru."

"Oh no! We have to go now!" Mei exclaimed. "Yao! Grab the dress and get in the car! I am not going to be late because of you!"

"Oh I can't believe I'm going to do this-aru...fine! Come on Alfred!" Yao said, snatching the dress and bolting out the door. Mei and Alfred were hot on Yao's heels as they ran through the hall and down the stairs, locking the door behind them before jumping into Yao's car.

Quickly, the Chinese man started the engine and sped away.

"Dude! Slow down!" Alfred cried, struggling to put on his seat belt.

"No! Speed up!" Mei protested. "We need to get to the restaurant fast!"

"Both of you, shut up-aru!" Yao yelled, showing a rare display of anger. The Chinese man slammed his foot on the gas petal, speeding through a line of green lights. Luckily, there no cars in front of them.

"YAO! Please slow down! The light is yellow!" Alfred pleaded, pointing to the light ahead of them.

"Sorry-aru, no can do! Don't you want to save Arthur?" Yao asked, speeding up and barely making it past the yellow light.

"Well, yeah, but I want to get to the restaurant in one piece!" Alfred replied.

"Oh look, we're here." Yao said, smirking before making a sharp turn into the parking lot.

"Huh? We're already- HOLY SHIT!" Alfred screeched as he was thrown to the side of the car because of the sharp turn Yao made.

By some miracle, Yao made it into a parking space without hitting anyone. Not only that, the trio had also arrived fifteen minutes before eight. All of the speeding Yao did shaved off some time. The Chinese man got out of the car, Mei and Alfred following him. Yao got the dress out of the back, sighing.

"I can't believe I'm going to wear this-aru." he sighed, locking his car.

"Come on! We have to get ready!" Mei said, dragging Yao and Alfred into the restaurant. As he was being dragged along, Alfred observed the room. Its walls were painted a creamy beige color while the floor had a crimson carpet. The walls were also adorned with traditional Chinese paintings while the ceiling was decorated with traditional Chinese lanterns. Lastly, tables and chairs made of the finest wood were scattered throughout the room. Now Alfred could see why this restaurant was so prestigious. He admired the room until Mei shoved him into the men's room while she dragged her brother into the women's room.

Alfred stumbled into the restroom, discovering the room was empty. Shrugging, Alfred went into a stall, removing his disguise from a bag he had stuffed down his shirt. Slowly, the American put on the first part of his disguise, a black afro wig he found laying around his house. The wig was soon followed by a pair of black sunglasses, a fake mustache, and a leather jacket.

After perfecting his costume, Alfred stuffed the bag down his shirt again, exiting the stall and the restroom.

It took about five minutes for Yao and Mei to make their appearance. Mei was now in her uniform, a black maid dress that reached her knees with fishnet stockings. Yao was in the same uniform, only he had a short black wig on, hiding his usual brown hair.

"...Alfred, what the hell is that crap you're wearing-aru?" Yao asked.

"It's my disguise."

"...Next time, I am choosing your costume. That disguise looks horrid-aru."

"Hey! Don't dis my look!" Alfred sad, giving his friend a playful shove. Yao only chuckled.

"Besides, I'm not the one in the dress." Alfred added, only making his friend roll his eyes.

"You're just lucky I'm doing this for you so you can hook up with Arthur-aru."

"Yeah, wait...what?" Alfred asked, only making Yao chuckle before Mei grabbed his arm.

"Come on! It's almost time to open up! Alfred, you can sit over there, Yao will be with you shortly. I need to tell him the basics of being a waitress." Mei cut in, pointing to a table in the corner as she dragged her brother away.

Alfred did as he was instructed, walking over to the table in the corner and plopping down in a chair. He checked his watch, seeing that it was almost eight. Arthur and Francis would be here in no time. After a few minutes of waiting, Alfred saw Yao leaving the back room.

Yao walked over to Alfred, giving the American a menu and some silverware.

"Nervous about something-aru?" Yao asked.

"Nah. I just don't want to see Francis." Alfred replied.

"I see. Well, you won't have to talk with them, just watch-aru. I'll be coming back to your table once in a while to tell you how they're doing. In the meantime, I'll mess with their date."

"How will you do that?"

"You'll see-aru."

The Alfred and Yao's conversation was interrupted as two figures walked in the door, accompanied by other couples and families.

"Oh! That's my cue to go-aru. Wish me luck!" Yao said, walking off to greet and seat customers. Within a few minutes, the whole restaurant was filled with people.

_'Damn. I guess this place is really popular.'_ Alfred thought.

He scanned the crowd for any sign of Arthur, finding the British man in a matter of seconds. He wore a pair of jeans along with a shirt bearing the British flag and a leather jacket.

Alfred thought he looked absolutely beautiful. Too beautiful to be with Francis.

Arthur and Francis were holding hands as Yao led them to their table, one relatively close to the one Alfred was sitting at. The American perked his ears, trying to listen to the conversation Yao was having with them.

"Aw...you two make such a cute couple!" Yao pretended to gush in a high pitched voice.

"Oh! Um...thank you, miss..." Arthur mumbled, blushing.

"_Merci_, cutie pie!" Francis winked, slapping Yao's rear end.

_'Pig.'_ Alfred thought, glaring at the Frenchman. He had a feeling that Francis was going to get the beating of his life if Yao couldn't keep his temper in check.

"Heh heh, please no touching-ah mister..." Yao said, almost giving in to his verbal tic.

"Oh Did I make you feel uncomfortable? I am sorry, miss." Francis apologized.

"It's fine, mister."

_'He doesn't mean it. Francis is only using Arthur.'_ Alfred thought, glaring again.

He only watched as Yao bowed before walking away to the kitchen, probably going to fetch some water for the tables. The American continued to watch, even as Francis pulled Arthur closer to him, pecking him on the lips.

The action alone made Alfred's blood boil. There was nothing more he wanted to do then to stand up and punch the Frenchman in the face. But he couldn't. After all, that would ruin the plan. So, Alfred just sat there, gripping the table.

_'That does it. This is war, Francis.'_ he thought.

**Merci- Thank You in French **

**Well, that wraps up another chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! Please review, subscribe, or favorite! Also, Happy New Year!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, my darling readers! I am back with another chapter! As always, thank you to anyone who favorited, subscribed, and/or reviewed! I love you all! **

**WARNINGS: There shall be yaoi! But...if you don't like yaoi, then why are you all in chapter 4? There will be some slight OOCness on Arthur's part and possibly Yao's part as well...sorry about that.**

**DISCLAIMER: I only own the plot and the fictional restaurant I made up.**

Chapter 4: Boiling Point

"Did you hear about the government official who had an affair?"

"Oh yes, Catherine is doing very well in school, how's Ann?"

"I don't know, I just don't think that he's a good influence on my little girl..."

Alfred ignored the other conversations in the room, only focusing on the conversation going on between a certain Frenchman and his English boyfriend. The Frenchman, also known as Francis, was being affectionate with the Brit, Arthur, much to Alfred's aggravation.

Francis was being overly affectionate with Arthur, kissing him every few minutes and running his hands all over the smaller man's body. Even with the fact they were in a public area, it seemed that Francis couldn't keep his hands off his boyfriend.

Alfred growled, gripping the edge of the table so hard his knuckles turned white. He didn't like Francis, especially when he was just using Arthur. But...Alfred did notice how happy Arthur looked with his boyfriend.

_'Why?'_ Alfred thought, gripping the table harder and scowling.

Why was Arthur so happy with Francis of all people? Francis wasn't loyal like Alfred was, he wouldn't treat Arthur right, and he certainly didn't care about Arthur like Alfred did. So then, why was Arthur wasting his time on a scumbag like Francis? It made no sense! Wasn't Arthur happy with his friends?

"Hey, Alfred." a voice hissed, snapping the American out of his thoughts. He looked up, seeing it was Yao.

"Hi Yao." the blonde greeted, still angry.

"Alfred-aru, calm down. Angry people make mistakes. _Huge mistakes._ If you keep glaring at the both of them, they're going to realize something is up." Yao whispered, taking a look around him to make sure no one was listening in.

"How can I?" Alfred shouted, earning some concerned looks from the other people in the room. The American covered his mouth after his loud outburst, his eyes nervously darting around the room. Luckily, Arthur and Francis didn't seem to notice, the two lost in their own world.

"Er...how can I choose between all of these delicious dishes?" Alfred yelled again, trying not to sound so angry. The people in the room slowly went back to having their conversations, turning their attention away from Alfred.

"You see-aru? You almost blew the whole plan!" Yao hissed again. "You need to calm down!"

"Yao, how can I do that when I see Arthur dating that scum bag?" Alfred hissed back. "I can't just ignore them when I see them kissing and touching each other right in front of me!"

"Well you'll have to learn! Their relationship won't last for long anyway! Our plan is to break them up, remember?"

"Well..yeah. You're right." Alfred sighed in defeat.

"Good. Now, what would you like to eat and drink-aru?" Yao asked, getting out a notepad.

"Uh.." Alfred scanned the menu, trying to find a familiar dish. Not finding any, he decided to wing it. "I guess I'll have the _oolong_ to drink..."

"You like tea-aru?"

"Huh? That's tea?"

"Yes-aru. Didn't you know that?"

"No..."

"Alfred-aru, why would you order something if you don't know what it is?"

"I thought it was some Chinese soda..." Alfred's response only made the Chinese man in front of him sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Here, how about a Coca Cola? That's basically your beer, right?"

"Yeah! A Coke would be great!"

"Alright, now what do you want to eat?" Yao sighed, writing the order down.

"Er...do they have hamburgers here?"

"...Of course they do-aru. Considering the fact this restaurant serves _Chinese food_." Yao replied, even Alfred clearly hearing the sarcastic tone his friend held.

"Well what do you recommend, _miss_?" Alfred asked, emphasizing the word 'miss' to get on his friend's nerves.

"The fried rice. See what I did there? I didn't get pissed over nothing." Yao informed.

"...I'll have that then."

"Alright then, I'll be back with your order when I can, along with some information. Remember, do not let your anger get the better of you." Yao warned.

"Chill out Yao, I got this." Alfred replied, grinning.

"...Alright then, I'll leave you to it!" Yao said, walking away to go take Arthur and Francis's order's as well. Alfred just continued to stare at his secret crush, wishing he was at the table with him instead of Francis. What did the Frenchman have that Alfred didn't? Well, besides an overbearing sex drive.

The blonde watched as Yao slipped into his friendly waitress persona once again, completely fooling Arthur and Francis.

"So, what will you guys have to drink?" Yao asked.

"I'll just have the _oolong_ tea, thank you." Arthur replied, smiling.

"And I'll have some water, please." Francis said, smirking.

_'...What's with that smirk? Is he trying to make a move on Yao?_' Alfred thought, leaning forward to get a closer look. Sure enough, a smirk was plastered on the Frenchman's face. Alfred wasn't quite sure what that expression meant, but if Francis tried anything on Arthur or Yao, Alfred would give him the beating of his life.

With a giggle and a wave, Yao walked away to get the drinks. Francis and Arthur started to talk again.

"I just...don't know Francis. No matter what I do in that class, it always seems to go wrong." Arthur said, sighing.

"Don't worry _mon amour_, I'm sure your foods class will work out just fine." Francis reassured his boyfriend, putting an arm around his shoulders.

"But I can never do anything right in that class..."

"Here, how about this: we can have a private tutoring session sometime. I can teach you the culinary art of French cuisine."

"Thanks..." Arthur said, pecking Francis on the cheek. "You're so sweet."

"Anything for you, _mon amour._" Francis chuckled.

"Frog."

Alfred growled again. The scene made him sick. He had a feeling Francis's idea of a private tutoring session meant sex.

_'That's probably what that pig is using Arthur for, his body.'_ Alfred thought, his blood boiling. Where on earth was Yao already?

As if the Chinese man had heard his thoughts, Yao came walking over to his table. He carried a tray with five drinks on it, including a steaming cup of tea.

"Hey, how's it going-aru?" Yao asked once he reached Alfred's table, putting a glass of Coke in front of the American.

"Not too well." Alfred replied.

"I see. Well, what I'm about to do next will probably make you a little happier." Yao said, walking away before Alfred got the chance to reply. The American only stared as his friend walked over to Arthur and Francis's table.

And then all hell broke loose for poor Arthur.

Yao made himself trip about two feet from the table, spilling the drinks all over the occupants. Being more fortunate then his boyfriend, Francis was only splashed with cold water. However, Arthur took the brunt of the other drinks. Luckily, the tea completely missed him, spilling all over the floor instead.

"AH!" the Brit yelped as he jumped up from his seat, frantically waving his arms and shaking his head to get the drinks off.

"Oh hon hon HON!" Francis shouted, startled with the water hit him.

The other occupants of the room turned around, surprised by the loud noises. Now just about everyone in the room was looking at one table.

"Oh no! I am so, so, SO sorry!" Yao cried, snatching a napkin from the table and patting Arthur down, only for the Brit to duck away from him.

"N-no. It's okay, miss. I'll just...go clean myself up in the washroom." Arthur stammered, his eye twitching slightly. Alfred could tell he was trying hard not to snap. Obviously, the Brit would be angry and embarrassed.

"Are you sure, sir?" Yao asked, biting his lip nervously.

"Of course."

"I am very sorry. You see, this is my first day on the job and I-"

"Don't worry, miss. It was an accident. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go to the washroom." And with those final words, the Brit quickly walked to the restroom, embarrassed beyond belief. When he left, the rest of the room slowly went back to their meals, still a little weirded out.

Yao looked after the Brit, pretending to be nervous. After a few moments, he sighed and turned back to Francis.

"I am very sorry, sir. Please allow me to help you dry off." The Chinese man said, grabbing the other table napkin and wiping the Frenchman's face.

"It's alright, _ma chéri_. It was an accident."

"I feel so awful! I practically ruined your date and everything!" Yao cried, pretending to tear up.

"Oh no, no, no! Please don't cry, _ma chéri_! Tears do not suit such a beautiful face!" Francis tried to comfort the faux waitress, patting Yao on the shoulder.

"Y-you really mean that?" Yao sniffed, looking up.

"Yes." Francis said, smiling.

"Thank you, sir. You're very kind..." Yao said, smiling.

"There, see? You are much more beautiful when you have a smile on your face."

"And handsome..." Yao whispered, tilting his head up.

"Huh?" Francis asked.

Alfred only watched, his jaw hitting the floor. What the hell was Yao doing? Suddenly a yell was heard throughout the room once again as an enraged Brit re-entered the room.

"FRANCIS! WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

"A-Arthur!" Francis yelped. "It's not what it looks like!"

"Bollocks! You were about to kiss that girl!" Arthur shouted, once again calling the attention of the restaurant to him.

"N-no! I wasn't! She was coming on to me! Tell him!" Francis said, flustered. He turned to Yao.

"You were the one telling me how beautiful I was." Yao huffed, crossing his arms.

"You are very pretty, but I didn't mean it like-"

"Oh, so now you think she's pretty? Why don't you just go out with her then?" Arthur cried, almost crying.

"Because I love you!" Francis replied.

"You...you...wanker!" Arthur screamed, running past the Frenchman and out of the room.

"Arthur, wait!" Francis called after the Brit, running after him.

Alfred quickly stood up, moving to go and comfort Arthur, but Yao quickly ran over, grabbing his arm.

"What are you doing-aru?" The Asian hissed.

"What does it look like? I'm going to comfort Arthur! _You went too far!_" Alfred hissed back. He was more then a little ticked at his friend right now.

"If you do that, they'll both suspect something, and all of our work will be for nothing!"

"But.."

"Look, I know you want to comfort him, but now is not the time. If you do, you'll blow the whole plan. Both of them will know it was a set up. Then, not only will they still be together, but they will hate both of us. Do you want that-aru?"

"...I guess you're right." Alfred said, sighing.

"...I'm sorry it had to go that far, but there was no other way." Yao said, looking down. Alfred could tell he felt awful, after all, the Chinese man wasn't a malicious person by nature. "God, that was hard to do-aru. I feel like I cheated on Kiku..."

"Nah, it wasn't willingly, right? Besides, you really do love Kiku." Alfred said, smiling.

"Yeah...I do." Yao replied, showing a small smile.

"I just hope Arthur is alright..." Alfred whispered.

"Once he's away from Francis, he will be." Yao reassured.

"I sure hope so."

**Translations and Foreign Terms:**

**Oolong- A traditional Chinese tea. **

**Mon amour- My love in French, apparently. I searched this one up too, I didn't use Google Translate. Google has given internet users many great things, unfortunately a good translator is not one of them.**

**Ma chéri- My dear in French. I looked this one up online, and apparently this is the tense you use if you're referring to a woman. So, since Francis thought that Yao is a waitress, I made him use this tense. **

* * *

><p><strong>SPECIAL NOTE: So apparently tomorrow (January 25) is the first annual GSA day! So, be sure to call your senators and ask them to support the Student Non-discrimination Act! I'll post links to more information about them on my profile, since the site doesn't work well with links on stories.<strong>

**Anyway, that's chapter four for you all! I hope you all enjoyed it! Remember: subscriptions, favorites, and reviews always make my day! Also, I would love it if any of you called your senators to tell them about the Student Non-discrimination Act!**

**:) Have a great day and happy GSA day tomorrow!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Why not start off the new month with an update? And here it is! ;) Just for you all. **

**As always, thank you to everyone and anyone who reviewed, subscribed, or added my story to your favorites! You guys brought joy into my life in these harsh days of school. **

**DISCLAIMER: I only own the teachers...because I made them up. I do not own Hetalia. **

**WARNINGS: There's a little bit of cursing.**

**Hope you all enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 5: In Which Some Force In The Universe Hates Alfred

Monday morning, Alfred walked into school feeling much happier then he had been in a long time. He couldn't wait to spend time with Arthur again. With Francis out of the picture, he would finally get to talk to the Brit again.

"Alfred, slow down you git!" a voice bearing a British accent called from behind the American.

Perfect Timing.

A smile making its way onto his face, Alfred turned around and came face to face with Arthur.

"Hey Arthur! What's up?" Alfred greeted, waiting for the Brit to catch up to him.

"It's been a while since we've talked and I wanted to see how you were doing." Arthur said, smiling.

"Well, things have been a little rough for me lately, but I'm happy now." Alfred replied, smiling.

"Oh, I'm sorry that things were going a little rough for you, but I'm glad things seem to be going better for you."

"Yeah, me too. So how have you been Arthur?"

"I suppose the same as you. I've been going through some troubling times lately, but today is a new day. I can't worry about the past."

"That sucks. Sorry your days have been kinda crummy, but today will definitely be better! After all, you get to spend your day with me!" Alfred beamed, laughing.

"Heh, we don't have all of our classes together, git." Arthur replied, chuckling.

"I know that, but we get to spend gym together right now!"

"You're hopeless, Alfred." Arthur replied, smiling as he and Alfred walked to the gym.

* * *

><p>Within a few minutes, the two young men were entering the locker-room. The room was filled with other students, all rushing to change into their gym uniforms.<p>

"Huh? Did we miss the bell?" Alfred asked.

"No, I don't think so. They probably want to get a court for badminton. We should get dressed quickly so we won't have be stuck with a crappy one." Arthur said, rushing off to get dressed himself.

Alfred stared after his friend for a few seconds, blinking.

"Come on, Alfred!" Arthur called, snapping the American out of his thoughts. He ran to his locker, going to put his uniform on...until he saw Arthur shirtless, that is.

The American watched his friend, unable to tear his eyes away from the beautiful British man before him. Arthur was perfect in every way, the way his hair shined, his fair complexion, his muscles...

"Alfred? ALFRED! Are you listening to me?" the beautiful man before the American asked, waving a hand in front of his friend.

"Huh?" Alfred said, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Why were you staring at me?"

"Huh? I wasn't staring at you, I was staring at the locker behind you!" Alfred lied.

"...Right." Arthur replied, not believing the obvious fib.

"I'm serious! There's some graffiti on there!"

"Whatever. Look, I'll go and grab us a court while you get dressed, alright?"

"O-okay..."

"Good. Then I'll see you in a little bit." Arthur said before jogging off, leaving Alfred to stare after him.

_'Oh God...'_ Alfred thought. That was possibly the most awkward moment of his life. There he was, drooling at the sight of his best friend half naked and to make matters worse, Arthur caught him staring.

'Crap. I feel like Francis...' Alfred thought, thinking about how the Frenchman would stare at anyone that appealed to him. He shook his head, trying to clear all thoughts of the other blonde from his mind.

_'No, I can never be as bad as him. Besides, he's out of my life for good now.'_ Alfred thought, smiling. Pulling on his gym uniform and putting his regular clothes in his gym locker. He sprinted out to the gym, seeing many courts were already occupied. Not seeing Arthur right away, the American scanned the crowd, seeing the Brit in a matter of seconds. He rushed over to the court Arthur was at, away from the other students.

"Hey, Arthur!" Alfred greeted, picking up a racket near the net.

"It's about time you got here, you git! What took you so long?" Arthur called back, crossing his arms.

"Sorry dude, I was just thinking."

"About how to put on your clothing?" Arthur teased, smirking.

"Tch. I know how to put my clothes on."

"That last incident in the locker room didn't show that."

"Oh shut up, let's just play some badminton so I can kick your butt!" Alfred countered, grinning.

"You're on!" Arthur called, throwing the birdie in the air and hitting it, sending the projectile across the net in a graceful arc.

Alfred reacted quickly, bolting over to where the birdie would land, smacking it across the net again. Arthur only returned the shot, backing up to hit the birdie.

"Come on, Artie! At least try to give me a challenge!" Alfred taunted, trying to make his opponent slip up. He smacked the birdie once again, sending it sailing across the net.

"Oh, I'll give you a challenge alright! I played badminton all the time when I was younger!" Arthur called back, returning his friend's shot with ease.

"Doesn't matter, I'll still win!" Alfred said, firing another shot.

"You wish!" Arthur said, firing a light shot back across the net. Alfred backed up, expecting the shot to sail farther.

He was wrong.

Instead, the birdie barely went over the net before dropping down the the ground.

"Damn!" Alfred cursed.

"Ha! Take that!" Arthur cried in triumph, grinning.

"Now it's war, Arthur!" Alfred shouted, picking the birdie up and firing it over the net...and Arthur's head...right into Yao's face.

"Aiyah! What the hell-aru?" Yao cursed, rubbing the spot on his forehead where the birdie hit him.

"That's out of bounds, Alfred." Arthur said.

"Dammit!" the American cursed.

Yao only rolled his eyes, knowing that Alfred probably hit him by hearing the American's cursing. He looked over at his friends, seeing how they were playing together. Yao only smiled as he handed the teacher a note.

'_It looks like the plan worked.'_ the Chinese man thought, exiting the room to get back to his psychology class.

* * *

><p>"Dude, you totally cheated in gym today." Alfred pouted, angry that he lost the game of badminton.<p>

"Hey, don't blame me for your lack of expertise at badminton." Arthur replied, smirking.

The two blondes were making their way to their world history class, talking just like they used to. It was like Arthur had never dated Francis.

"You're just lucky I went easy on you." Alfred continued to pout.

"Yeah, right. By the way, did we have any homework for AP world?" Arthur asked, changing the subject.

"Um...I don't think so."

"Good, because the only homework I did was for Honors English."

"We had homework in English?"

"Yeah. We have an essay due today."

"Oh crap, that was due today?" Alfred asked.

"Yes, I just said it was due today. Don't tell me you forgot about it."

"I think I did..."

"Alfred, you're hopeless..." Arthur sighed. "You'll have to do the essay at lunch or something."

"Yeah, I will. Oh well, I'll get it done." Alfred said, brushing off the essay and opening the door for Arthur.

"You really need to get your priorities straight. You can't just forget about your school work all the time." Arthur sighed.

"Don't worry, I always get my work done." Alfred replied, flashing his trademark smile.

"Whatever you say, Alfred." Arthur said, rolling his eyes before walking to his seat. Alfred followed suit, not paying attention as the room began to fill up with students. He was just so...happy. Arthur wasn't with Francis anymore and now he and Arthur can build their relationship again. Maybe they would become something more.

Alfred didn't even care that he would fail the reading check.

* * *

><p>About forty-five minutes later, Alfred walked to his hang out spot, smiling. Arthur said he had to go meet his counselor to discuss a scholarship while Yao and Kiku had to go to their lockers. He couldn't wait to hang out with his friends again, it would be just like old times.<p>

The blonde continued to walk down the hall until he arrived at the usual hang out spot, seeing Yao and Kiku were already there, kissing.

Alfred decided to tease his friends. Mimicking Mr. Hans, he shouted at his friends.

"Just what do you both think you're doing?" the American yelled.

Immediately, the two Asian men broke apart as Kiku swung around started to apologize.

"We are so sorry Hans-san! We didn't mean to offend you and I-"

"Kiku, Kiku! Calm down-aru. It's just Alfred pretending to be a teacher." Yao said, trying to calm his boyfriend down. Alfred just burst out laughing.

"You guys should've seen the looks on your faces!"

"That wasn't very nice, Alfred-kun." Kiku pouted.

"Yeah, Kiku's right. You're an ass." Yao joked, playfully punching Alfred in the shoulder.

"Oh come on, I was just messing with you guys." Alfred replied, continuing to tease his friends. "Maybe you guys should be a little more careful with your face sucking."

"Alfred-kun! Stop using such vulgar language!" Kiku scolded.

"Ha! We don't suck face, as you so rudely put it. We kiss. There is a difference you know." Yao countered, smirking.

"You are both hopeless." Kiku sighed. "Oh, it's Arthur-kun and Francis-san." he added.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Yao asked.

"They're walking this way." Kiku said, waving at the two blondes as they approached.

_'No...he wouldn't...'_ Alfred thought. Arthur was smarter than that. If someone cheated on him, he would break up with them, right? The American looked behind him, seeing Arthur was indeed with Francis.

Again.

Alfred's hands squeezed into fists, knowing the plan had failed. His whole day just went to crap.

"Hello everyone!" Arthur greeted in a chipper voice, Francis following after.

"_Bonjour_ everyone." Francis said, winking.

_'He's trying to flirt with Kiku!'_ Alfred thought, glaring. Why else would Francis wink? Winking was usually a suggestive move, right?

"Good morning." Kiku replied, smiling.

"Hi." Alfred grunted. Why did the Frenchman's face have to come and ruin his day?

"Nihao-aru. How were your weekends?" Yao asked, putting on a fake smile.

"Mine was good." Arthur replied.

"As was mine." Francis added, grinning.

_'Wipe that perverted smirk off your face.'_ Alfred thought, glaring once again. He didn't care of his personal bias was misleading him. Francis needed to get away from Arthur.

"How was the date?" Yao asked.

"Um..." Arthur started, Francis answering the question for him.

"We had a little...misunderstanding. However, we managed to sort it out. Such is the power of love." he said, wrapping his arms around Arthur.

_'Get your filthy paws off of him.'_ Alfred thought. If only he could just lay one punch on the Frenchman!

"Oh, well I'm glad everything worked out!" Yao said.

"_Oui_, me too. And because of that fight, our love is stronger then ever!" Francis said, smiling. He was completely oblivious to the American glaring holes into his skull.

Alfred couldn't believe the plan failed. He couldn't believe Arthur was still with Francis, after everything that happened this morning! It seemed as though things would go back to normal...but they didn't. It was just some cruel joke the universe was playing.

And this, was why Alfred F. Jones could not have nice things.

**Foreign Terms: **

**Nihao (Chinese)- Hello **

**Oui (French)- Yes **

**Bonjour (French)- Hello **

**Really happy chapter where Alfred and Arthur get together? NOPE! Just Chuck Testa. **

**Internet memes aside, I hope Alfred wasn't too OOC in this chapter. So if he is, I apologize. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Any kind of feedback is always welcome!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again everyone! I have another chapter for you all! Summer is here and I finally have some time to write~ **

**Unfortunately, my AP classes gave me a bunch of homework so I don't know how OFTEN I'll be able to update, but I want to get at least one update in for each of my stories. **

**As always, thank you to everyone for your support! :) You all bring a big smile to my face. **

**DISCLAIMER: Nope, still don't own Hetalia.**

Chapter 6: Want Some Drama With Your Plan?

"I can't believe this! Why would Arthur go out with someone he saw _cheating_ on him?" Alfred fumed, pacing back and forth across Yao's bedroom. The two young men decided to go to Yao's house after school to discuss their next plan.

"I thought I told you, love makes people blind. Arthur and Francis are in the honey moon phase." Yao answered from his seat on his bed.

"The honey moon phase?"

"The phase where a couple first gets together. They are usually oblivious to the world around them and all they can see is each other. In this phase, they will also be overly affectionate-aru. Sound familiar?"

"Yeah...they have been touching each other a lot..." Alfred mused. "It's kinda gross." he added.

"Agreed. So, do you understand what we're dealing with here?"

"Yeah..." Alfred sighed.

"Alrighty then, so how are we going to break them up?" Yao asked.

"I'm not sure, Yao. I mean, we made Francis cheat, and that didn't work. What else can we possibly do?"

"That's what we have to find out-aru. What would make a couple lose interest?"

"Well, cheating didn't work...so...distance maybe?" Alfred guessed.

"Elaborate-aru."

"Well, if people don't see each other or have any form of contact for a while then they eventually drift apart, right?"

"Not with all people-aru, but I get what you're saying. It doesn't sound like the best plan, but it's the only lead we have at the moment. So, what should we do to create distance?"

"We could make Francis fail his classes, then he would have to go to community."

"Alfred, I thought we've been over this already, Francis gets good grades. He may be overly affectionate and has a long line of partners as the result of that, but he keeps his grades up."

"Yao, you think I don't know that? On second thought, don't answer that. Look, you and I both know that Francis won't fail on his own, so we have to _make_ him fail." Alfred explained.

"Oh? And how will we make him fail-aru? Bribe the teachers?"

"Nope! There are plenty of ways to make a person fail!"

"Such as...?"

"We can trash his homework, and that will make his grades slip, and then he'll bomb all of his classes!" Alfred exclaimed, his eyes shining with a new found glee.

"Alfred, let's be logical about this. If we were to follow your plan, how would we get Francis's home work?" Yao asked, skeptical.

"Um...well, I can become a teacher's aid after I'm done with my make up semester of Algebra 2!"

"So-aru, somehow you will become the aid to all of his teachers and then take his homework?"

"That's the plan!" Alfred said, grinning. However, Yao continued to poke holes in the plan.

"Alfred-aru, you can only be an aid for _one_ teacher. Plus, we don't even have Francis's schedule and if we just asked him out of the blue, he would suspect something."

"Hm..." Alfred mused, trying to readjust his plan. "Alright then...well, the office probably has copies of everyone's schedules, right?"

"Yes, but I don't know where you're going with this."

"Well, I was thinking that you could distract the office lady while I sneak in and get the schedule! You know, maybe flirt with her."

"...Alfred-aru, the woman at the front office is old enough to be my mother."

"How about the library assistant then?"

"What? She doesn't know the schedules!"

"No, but she knows the passwords to view them!"

"She won't just tell me about them, Alfred!"

"Well..no, but I was thinking you could flirt with her, maybe take her on a date and then we can get the passwords or the schedule!"

"Oh no, absolutely not! I already flirted with _Francis_ for you! I refuse to cheat on Kiku again!" Yao protested.

"Oh come on! She doesn't make goggly eyes at me! She always makes them at you! Please, Yao, just one more time and no more flirting with others, I promise!" Alfred begged.

"No-aru!"

"Oh come on, you were the one who suggested breaking them up in the first place and now you're backing out?"

"I never said I was abandoning the plan! I just don't want to cheat on Kiku..."

"Yao, it is not cheating if your heart isn't in it." Alfred said.

"Yes it is-aru! I'm still flirting with another person!" Yao hissed.

"Well, I guess if you want Arthur and I to be unhappy forever..." Alfred sighed, trying to guilt trip his friend.

"Oh don't do that-aru."

"I'll just...you know live out my years in isolation...wondering what could have been if you just would've-"

"Alright, alright-aru! But just one more time." Yao cried, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Thanks, dude! I knew I could count on you!" Alfred replied, beaming.

"But if this incident strains my relationship with Kiku, _there will be hell to pay_." Yao growled, his voice dark, a complete contrast to his earlier tone.

"Y-yeah! Nothing will go wrong, I promise!" Alfred replied nervously.

Yao could be damn scary sometimes.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure about this-aru? Kiku might see..." Yao said, biting his lip as his eyes nervously scanned the library the next day.<p>

"Dude, you need to calm down. Kiku isn't going to come to the library. He's in his pre cal class finishing up a test." Alfred replied, trying to calm his friend down. They needed to get this done with quickly. After all, they only had the fifteen minutes their break permitted before they had to go to their next class.

"But..."

"Yao, come on, we have to be done soon. I'll keep an eye out for Kiku so he won't see."

"Alright-aru.." Yao said, gulping before making his way over to the library assistant, a Junior with short, brown hair and beautiful, blue eyes. She wore a black coat over a white dress, a direct contrast to her fair skinned complexion. As Yao approached her, she was typing away at her keyboard, probably trying to eradicate a virus.

"Um...excuse me-aru." Yao greeted, still extremely nervous. The girl at the desk paused in her typing, looking up at him.

"Yes?"

"Erm...I was just wondering if I could find out a student's schedule."

"Hm? I can't just give those out you know." the girl said, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes, I know that...but...could you do me a favor and help me out please-aru?" Yao asked, putting on a nervous grin. The girl at the desk scanned the library, keeping her eyes peeled for any staff members.

"Alright, I'm listening." she said.

"Alright um..."

"Bridget."

"Oh. Well, Bridget-aru, how about I do your home work for a month?" Yao asked, hoping the girl across from him would accept.

"Hm...no. I require no assistance in my school work." Bridget said. "You'll have to offer something else."

"A picture?"

"Nope."

"Food?"

"Try again."

"Er..how about my lunch money for a month-aru?"

"As if I'd want something that..._juvenile_." Bridget scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Since you are utterly clueless, I want a date."

"W-what?"

"A date. I want a date with you."

"But I have a boyfriend!"

"No date means no schedule." Bridget said, crossing her arms.

"I..." Yao stammered, looking back at Alfred. This was for his friends. It was for their happiness. Just one date and it would be over.

Once again, Yao did a quick scan over the library. No sign of Kiku.

"Fine, I'll go on a date with you. But just this once. I don't want Kiku to find out-aru."

"Don't want me to find out about what, Yao?" a voice asked.

Petrified with fear, Yao slowly turned to his right, seeing his boyfriend, who had entered the library from the side door.

"K-Kiku. It's not what it-" Yao stammered before he was interrupted.

"If you wanted to break up with me, you should have just told me instead of doing this." Kiku said, beginning to tear up. Walking up to Yao and staring into his eyes for a moment, a loud smack was heard in the room as Kiku slapped Yao across the face. Turning on his heels, the Japanese man ran from the room, leaving his dumb founded boyfriend behind.

"Look, I'll go on a date with you still but I'll talk to you later! Just give Francis Bonnefoy's schedule to him!" Yao commanded, pointing at Alfred. With those few words, Yao bolted after his boyfriend.

Watching this scene was Alfred, shocked after witnessing the turn of events. As Bridget walked up to him and handed the paper to him, he couldn't snap out of his daze. He could've just ruined his friend's happiness just to try to salvage his own.

Not even the warning bell reached his ears as he stared off into space.

**What a twist! Well, the plans had to have some more negative repercussions, right? Anyway, I'll try to update again as soon as possible and remember, any support is appreciated :) **

**Have a wonderful Summer everyone!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone! Long time no update, and I apologize for that. I've just had a lack of motivation. **

**Anyway, since I finally got the motivation to finish a chapter for this story, I present you all with this shiny new chapter! **

**DISCLAIMER: I will literally never own Hetalia.**

Chapter 7: Karma's Hard Scolding

"Oh come on, Yao! You haven't talked to me all day!" Alfred called, rushing after his friend at lunch. Ever since the day before, everything was going down hill for Alfred. Arthur was still going out with Francis, Kiku was fighting with Yao, and now Yao wasn't speaking to Alfred.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Alfred quickened his pace until he caught up to his angry friend. Quickly, the American grabbed Yao's arm and dragged him down a secluded hallway.

"Let me go you ass!" Yao growled, trying to pull away from Alfred.

"No, I need to talk to you!" Alfred hissed, keeping his iron grip on Yao's arm.

"About what? How you destroyed my _relationship_?" Yao growled, glaring daggers at Alfred.

"Look, I'm sorry I screwed things up between you and Kiku, but I can fix it!"

"Oh no, I'm not doing this again! The last time I went through with your crazy schemes, I lost the love of my life!" Yao protested, trying to tug away with more force.

"Oh come on, just give me a chance!"

"No, now let _go_!" Yao yelled, yanking his hand free. "Just leave me alone."

"But..." Alfred's voice trailed off as he saw the cold glare Yao gave him before running off. "I can fix it..." the blonde whispered to no one.

Sighing, Alfred turned the other way and started walking away from the scene. It was useless to go after Yao at this point. Either way, Yao would ignore Alfred unless things between him and Kiku were fixed.

Deciding to put breaking up Francis and Arthur aside for now, Alfred began to think about his new plan, to get Yao and Kiku back together.

He needed a solid plan, one that was guaranteed to succeed.

The blonde but his lip as he tried to come up with a solution. What started this whole situation was Yao agreeing to go on a date with the library assistant. Then Kiku saw, and he thought Yao was cheating on him, which resulted in an angry confrontation and Kiku storming off. Obviously, there was no getting through to Yao, so Alfred would have to try to take on Kiku.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck Alfred, making the blond stop dead in his tracks.

Why not just tell Kiku the situation? Yes, that was it! Alfred would tell Kiku everything, from trying to break Francis and Arthur up to Yao cross-dressing and finally to why Yao asked the library assistant out. Once Kiku knew the situation, he would have to forgive Yao, right?

All he needed to do was arrange a get together with Kiku.

Immediately, Alfred whipped out his cell phone, punching in Kiku's number and holding the receiver to his hear when he was done.

Even after four rings, Kiku still didn't pick up and Alfred was forced to leave a message.

"Hey Kiku, it's Alfred. I...I really need to talk to you about something, so please call me back whenever you can." the blonde said, ending the call when he was finished. Alfred shoved his phone in his pocket as he continued to walk down the secluded hallway.

He needed to fix this situation, he just had to. If he didn't, then Yao would be unhappy forever, and that was something that Alfred couldn't live with.

The blonde made his way to the school's library, where he took a seat by the computers. He opened an internet tab, beginning to search for idle things, anything to take his mind off of the current situation.

Suddenly, Alfred's phone vibrated, startling the blonde. Quickly, he fished his phone out of his pocket and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Alfred-kun? It's me, Kiku." Kiku's voice greeted over the phone.

Instantly, Alfred's face brightened up. His plan was already working!

"Kiku! Hey I really need to talk to you about something. Can you come to my house after school today?" the blonde asked.

"Hm...I don't have any homework today, so I suppose I can. What time would you like me to be over?"

"Uh...5:00 should be fine."

"Very well, I'll see you later then." Kiku said.

"See you later." Alfred replied, hanging up.

After he ended the call, Alfred pumped a fist into the air, thrilled that his plan was working. Now all he had to do was wait.

* * *

><p>Alfred paced around his house, a little nervous about his meeting with Kiku. What if something went wrong? What if Kiku didn't believe him?<p>

What if he screwed up again?

'_No, I can't think like that. Everything will work out, just relax.' _Alfred thought, attempting to calm himself down. He couldn't back out now, not after everything that's happened already.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, breaking the blonde from his thoughts. There was no backing out now.

Taking a deep breath, the blonde forced himself to get up and answer the door, seeing Kiku beyond the structure. Alfred forced a grin as he greeted his long time friend.

"Hey Kiku, how are you?" the blonde asked, stepping aside so the shorter man could enter.

"I'm...doing alright, Alfred-kun. Things have been a little stressful lately. How are you?" Kiku replied.

"I'm...doing decently."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yeah." Alfred replied, scratching the back of his head before giving a nervous chuckle. Since when did being around Kiku feel so awkward? "Uh..do you want anything to drink?"

"Oh, no thank you." Kiku politely declined, removing his shoes before entering the house. "May I sit down?"

"Oh yeah, sure."

"So..what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Huh?"

"Why did you call me here, Alfred-kun?" Kiku asked, taking a seat on the couch.

Taking a deep breath, Alfred began to speak.

"It's about Yao."

Kiku stayed silent.

"Now, I know that you saw him essentially cheating on you, but it wasn't his fault. It was mine." Alfred confessed, cringing. The blonde paused for a moment, waiting for Kiku to yell at him.

"...What do you mean by that?" Kiku asked, surprisingly calm.

"Uh...I put him up to it."

"So...you were trying to break us up?"

"What? No! No, that's not it at all!" Alfred babbled, trying to defuse the situation.

"Then what is?" Kiku asked in a tone too stern for Alfred's liking.

"Well, you see...I uh...I wanted to break Francis and Arthur up, not you and Yao."

"And how on Earth would getting Yao to cheat on me accomplish that task? Would you mind telling me that?" Kiku asked, a hurt expression on his face. Alfred cringed and continued.

"Well, I wanted to get Francis's schedule so that I could make him fail his classes so that he would move to another school and then Arthur would lose interest in him and then they would break up and then we would all be happy again and-" Alfred paused when Kiku held up a hand.

"Alfred-kun, please don't speak so fast. I'm having trouble keeping up." he said.

"Oh..right. Sorry. Well...I guess when Arthur got a boyfriend the group just...drifted apart. I wanted us to all be friends again, so I made Yao help me with my plans to break Arthur and Francis up. So please, don't blame Yao for the stupid things I forced him into."

Silence.

Kiku only drifted his gaze to the ground, unmoving. Alfred tried to swallow the giant lump in his throat, already beginning to regret his decision. Kiku didn't seem to be taking the news too well. Maybe he was just shocked? Alfred hoped so.

"I apologize, Alfred-kun, but I cannot forgive Yao yet." Kiku finally spoke.

"Wh-What? Bu-But it wasn't his fault! It wasn't Yao's fault! It was _mine, _mine and only mine! You can't still be mad at him!" Alfred sputtered. How could his plan have failed again?

"Please, let me finish." Kiku interrupted, now fixing a cold glare at Alfred. "If he truly did care about our relationship, he wouldn't have cheated in the first place and now that I know what he's capable of doing, it makes me wonder how many other times he's cheated on me. I just...I just can't deal with that right now."

"But-"

"I know that it's not my place to judge, and I apologize if my words sound harsh, but what you are doing is very selfish, Alfred-kun. You should not try to destroy someone else's happiness to salvage your own. I am saying this as a friend, Alfred-kun, please, give up on your plans. They will not bring you happiness."

After Kiku finished speaking, he stood up and began to walk to the door.

"I hope our conversation has enlightened you." Kiku said, retrieving his shoes walking out the door.

Alfred didn't try to stop Kiku. No, he just stood there as the brunette's words sunk in.

He had never felt so empty in his life.

**And that wraps up another chapter! Not much happens in this chapter, but it will advance the story, I promise you! **

**Anyway, any feedback is always appreciated and I hope you all have a wonderful evening!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Did someone say UPDATE?! **

**Seriously though, here's an update for you wonderful, patient people. Thank you to all of the readers who have stuck with me so far!**

**DISCLAIMER: Still don't own Hetalia.**

Chapter 8: Renewal

Alfred sighed as he walked down the halls of World Academy W, alone for the second week in a row. It didn't matter that his peers were all around him, or that people waved hi to him. Without his friends, he might as well have been isolated on a remote island.

He continued to the cafeteria where he sat at a table near the back, having no appetite to eat at lunch today. He had been doing this for the past two weeks, going to some isolated corner of the school to mope every time he had some time to spare. Alfred still didn't know _how_ everything went so wrong. He didn't mean to break up Yao and Kiku, or to poison his relationships with his friends. He just wanted Arthur to be happy.

"Alfred, what's wrong?"

The American's head shot up, coming face to face with Arthur. For once, he didn't have Francis accompanying him.

"Oh...hi." Alfred said, unsure of how to talk to Arthur. They hasn't talked in so long that Arthur's very presence brought an awkward air about them.

Arthur felt like a stranger.

"Mind if I sit down here?" Arthur asked, Alfred only shaking his head.

"No, you can sit." he said.

"Thanks." Arthur replied, taking the seat right next to Alfred.

"Where's Francis? I thought you guys were always hanging out together." Alfred said, scratching at the table with his pointer finger.

"He had a test to make up this period, so he can't join us for lunch today. But he's not going to be the topic of this conversation. This conversation is going to be about _you."_

"Wait I-" Alfred started, turning to Arthur and stopping his assault on the table.

"No. We are talking about you and that's final." Arthur interrupted, putting an end to any protests Alfred had. "I've noticed that you've been very gloomy lately and I want to know what happened."

"But-"

"I already tried talking to Yao and Kiku about it, but they're not budging."

"Oh...you did?" Alfred mused, lowering his eyes to avert Arthur's gaze. "What did they say?"

"Kiku just said he was dealing with some out of school stuff and Yao said he didn't want to talk about it. So, fess up. What happened?" Arthur said.

"Why do you care anyway?" Alfred asked, an undertone of bitterness in his voice. "Shouldn't you be with Francis right now?"

"What?"

"Look, ever since you started going out with him, you forgot all about us. No calls, or texts, or chats or anything. I didn't even know you still considered us your _friends_." Alfred scowled. He knew that last part was uncalled for, but he was too emotionally numb to care.

"I- of course you're still my friends! Nothing has changed except that I have a boyfriend now." Arthur protested.

"That's the thing, _everything changed when you started going out with Francis!_" Alfred hissed, turning away from Arthur again. "You forgot about us."

"No I did not! I'm sorry you felt that way, but if I forgot about you all, I wouldn't be here right now talking to you. I wouldn't care about you all, but _I do_." Arthur hissed, keeping his voice steady and stern.

"Well-"

"I didn't think you would want my relationship shoved in your faces, so of course I didn't hang out with you all much. What with Kiku and Yao in a relationship, I thought you would get depressed because you were the only one single."

"But-"

"_That _was why I didn't hang around with you all much, you stupid, bloody git. It wasn't because I forgot about you all or grew to dislike any of you, it was so I didn't rub my relationship in your faces."

"Oh that's ridiculous, I wouldn't have-" Alfred was cut off again.

"Yes, you would have Alfred. I know you. Now with that said, what's wrong with you?" Arthur asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I-" Once again, Alfred was interrupted, but it wasn't by Arthur this time. Instead, it was the bell, signaling that lunch was over and passing period was now starting.

"Dammit! Alfred we really need to- hey where are you going?" Arthur called the last part of his statement as said blonde rushed away from him.

"To the bathroom!" Alfred called over his shoulder, making a bee line for the door. He needed to get out of here, and fast. He couldn't take anymore drama, he didn't want to make another person hate him.

Alfred didn't even check behind him to make sure Arthur wasn't following him, he just darted out of the door. He pushed his way through the crowd of students as he headed straight for his locker to get his books before he ran into any of his old friends again. Suddenly, being alone didn't sound so bad if it meant being free from the suffocating air of awkwardness he endured during his brief conversation with Arthur.

What was that conversation all about anyway? Arthur said he still considered them close friends and that he didn't forget about them, but his actions seemed to contradict his statements.

Real friends didn't abandon you for some guy they were dating.

But then again, real friends also didn't try to ruin their friend's relationship either.

Alfred only groaned as he banged his head against the top of his locker. He didn't have time for this right now, he needed to get to class before he was late.

Unfortunately for the blonde, Lady Luck decided to remind him that she hated him and just as he closed his locker, the late bell rang. Alfred stopped to curse.

'_Why do these things happen to me?' _he lamented.

He weighed his options. Did he really want to go to class? One that Yao was in? Did he want to risk Arthur finding him again? Did he want to see Francis or Kiku?

Of course, the answer to all of these questions was a simple 'no'.

But what about make up work and retaining a flawless attendance record? It would disappoint his parents, but at this point he didn't care. He really didn't need any more negativity affecting his day. So, he went to the nurse's office to put his acting skills to the test.

The part he was playing? A kid that was a step away from coating the floors in vomit. That would get him out, right? After all, Alfred was sure none of the faculty wouldn't want to clean up any remnants of a student's lunch.

As long as he could convince the nurse he was actually sick, he was set.

Taking a deep breath, he walked into the nurse's office, using a groan to get the woman's attention. Alfred clutched his stomach, hoping his acting skills were up to par. Hearing his noise of distress, the nurse rushed over to him, cooing comforting words to him while dragging him over to the make shift bed in the far side of the room.

"What's wrong? Does your stomach hurt?" the nurse asked once Alfred was sitting on the bed.

"Uugh, everything huuuuurts..." Alfred moaned, doubling over.

"What specific parts hurt?" the nurse asked, grabbing a nearby clip board and pen.

"Everything hurts. My head, my throat, my stomach, _everything."_ Alfred groaned.

"All of those?" the nurse questioned, sounding skeptical.

'_Crap, I'm losing her. I need to do something else!' _Alfred thought.

"Oh- oh God it's happening again." Alfred said, letting out a sickly cough. "Can you please get me a bucket?"

"Of course!" the nurse said, rushing to get an empty trash bin and bringing it to Alfred's side. As soon as the bucket was handed to him, the blonde snatched it, hiding his face in it and letting out a ghastly cough.

"Ugh...sorry about that. I've been feeling real awful all day." Alfred croaked out, the nurse giving him a concerned look.

"You need to go home sick because with a cough like that, there's no way you'll make it through the day." the nurse said, already getting a notice out and scribbling on it. "Do you have anyone who can pick you up?" she asked.

"Uh..not really. Both my parents work and they usually don't get off to early..." Alfred said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hm...well I can't just let you walk home..."

"Oh, no! My house is just down the block! I can walk!" Alfred insisted.

"No, I just can't let you walk home."

"Please, nurse, my parents can't pick me up and I don't feel well. The longer I'm here, the worse I'll get. Can I please just walk home?"

The nurse only sighed and shook her head. "No can do. If you don't have anyone to pick you up, I guess I'll just have to drive you home."

"No really, you don't have to-"

"No. I will drive you home. Now follow me so I can sign you out." the nurse said, already walking out of the room.

Alfred only sighed. Hopefully, this would be the last awkward situation for the day.

'_Well, it's better than seeing anyone.' _Alfred thought, following the nurse.

* * *

><p>The nurse found out Alfred lied to her about the whereabouts of his house.<p>

She wasn't pleased.

Luckily, the ride with her was short, taking only about ten minutes. After possibly the most awkward car ride of his life, Alfred F. Jones was sitting in his house safely away from his former friends.

As soon as he got into his house and locked the door behind him, Alfred collapsed on the couch. Perhaps being in close proximity with his former friends took more of a toll on him than he realized? He wasn't sure anymore. He was just glad he was away from the toxic environment, even if it was just for the day.

Alfred knew that running from his problems wasn't the greatest plan, and that it certainly wouldn't help anything, but he couldn't take it anymore. He needed a break.

The blonde sighed, slumping on his couch. Why did this have to happen to him? He was a good person.

Well, except for trying to make his former best friend break up with his-

Alfred groaned, burying his face in his hands. This situation was way too complicated to think about right now, he needed a distraction. Looking on a nearby table, his eyes went directly to his math textbook. Well, it wasn't his preferred distraction, but it would have to do. After all, what could numb a student's mind faster than quadratic formulas?

Pushing himself off the couch, Alfred went to go retrieve his textbook and turned to the chapter his class was currently studying.

The first problem he saw was a three part logarithm problem.

_'Do I really want to do this?' _Alfred thought, looking over the complex problems filled with more letters than numbers. Taking a deep breath, he came to the conclusion that math was better than confronting his problems at the moment. Grabbing a piece of paper, Alfred returned to the couch and got to work.

* * *

><p>He only lasted an hour. His brain couldn't take anymore complicated equations after that. Hell, his brain couldn't do much of anything at the moment. Even while he was doing the math problems, Alfred couldn't quite concentrate. He kept thinking back to everyone, especially the conversation he and Arthur had earlier.<p>

Was what Arthur said true?

"Oh God dammit!" Alfred cursed. This was exactly what he was trying to forget about! Why couldn't he just-

Suddenly, there was a knock on Alfred's door, interrupting the blonde's thoughts.

The blonde only blinked for a moment, until another knock echoed through the living room. Regaining his senses, he called out a reply.

"I'm coming!"

Quickly, making his way toward the door, Alfred opened it without thinking.

And came face to face with Yao.

"Wha- what are you-" Alfred stammered.

"May I come in?" Yao interrupted, folding his hands behind his back.

"Uh...well...sure?" Alfred didn't know what he was doing. Everything was so weird and awkward right now and he just said the first answer he thought of.

"Thanks-aru." Yao said, already removing his shoes before walking past Alfred and into the blonde's home. "I have to talk to you about some things."

"Er...sure. What is it?" Alfred asked, closing and locking the door behind him. If his brain was mush before, it was in a full blown panic now. Why was Yao here? Why was this happening to him? _He was a descent person dammit!_

"I need to talk to you about our...conflict." Yao said without an ounce of awkwardness or embarrassment in his voice.

'_Oh no.' _Alfred thought, preparing for the worst. He couldn't even imagine why Yao wanted to talk to him about their fight, but it couldn't be anything good.

Taking a deep breath, Yao took a deep breath before he spoke again.

"I'm tired of fighting." he said.

"Yao, I understand if you never want to talk to me again and wait. What?" Alfred asked. Did Yao just say what he thought he said?

"I said that I am tired of fighting. It's exhausting to keep a grudge and honestly, I don't have the time nor the energy to keep it up." Yao confirmed, crossing his arms.

"So does this mean you and Kiku are back together?" Alfred asked, a grin forming on his face.

"No. Hell, I don't think we'll ever get back together-aru. It's too late for that."

"Oh..." Alfred said, the grin falling from his face. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine just-"

"No, it's not okay, Yao! I completely fucked up your relationship and I-"

"Alfred. Stop." Yao snapped. His tone was harsh and final, making Alfred snap his mouth shut.

"Look, it was my mistake, and I would rather put that behind me. Let's just drop it. I'm over Kiku."

"Are...are you sure?" Alfred asked, hesitant.

"Yes. I fulfilled my duty as an honorable man and I am ready to move on-aru."

"Huh? What do you mean your duty as an honorable man?"

"I made sure Kiku was taken care of, of course! Didn't your parents teach you how to treat a romantic partner-aru?"

"Wait, what do you mean 'taken care of?' Oh God, _what did you do Yao?_" Alfred gasped, his mind conjuring up at least fifteen different scenarios of what Yao meant.

"Oh for God's sake-aru. I know what you're thinking! You think I hurt him, don't you?"

"I didn't say that..." Alfred mumbled.

"You implied it, but to answer your stupid question-aru, no. I did not hurt him. What kind of sicko would do that?!" Yao retorted, throwing his arms in the air.

"Oh you'd be surprised..." Alfred trailed off, only making Yao roll his eyes.

"I knew watching all of those cop shows would rot your brain-aru. But no, I didn't harm Kiku in any way whatsoever. I got him a dog." Yao huffed, as if getting your ex boyfriend a pet was the most normal thing in the world.

"What? Dude! Why did you do that?"

"So he wouldn't be lonely!" Yao shouted, making the blonde across from him flinch. Yao only averted his gaze as he crossed his arms once again and continued.

"He doesn't have any siblings, and his parents work a lot of the time, so he gets lonely sometimes. I mean, he won't be hanging around us anymore and Ludwig and Feliciano each have their lives to attend to as well so they can't be around him every day. So, I thought I'd get him a pet. He always liked cute things. I just...adopted a dog and left it on his doorstep. Of course I got all of the proper medical care and supplies for the dog and everything-aru. But this way, with that dog, he won't be lonely. He'll have someone. But I swear I'm over him-aru!" Yao rambled, turning slightly pink.

"So...you just left the dog on his doorstep?" Alfred questioned, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes-aru."

The corners of Alfred mouth twitched upward to form a small smile. That small smile turned into a larger one as the blonde tried to sniffle his laughter. And that larger smile turned into a wide grin as Alfred found it harder to contain his laughter.

It took all of thirty seconds for the blonde to burst into laughter, leaving a puzzled Yao in its wake.

"What the hell-aru? Stop laughing you ass! It was very important!" Yao scowled.

"Oh- oh God! Th-that's so like you, Yao!" Alfred snorted out between laughs, tears forming at the corners of his eyes as his face turned red. He was doubled over, his hands on his knees as he tried to get his laughing fit under control.

Yao only stared for a moment before letting a few chuckles escape from his mouth. He waited until Alfred's laughter died down before speaking again.

"Same old Alfred-aru." he mumbled.

"Huh?" the blonde in question asked, rising from his earlier position.

"Nothing-aru. So anyway, let's call it a truce?" Yao asked, sticking out his right hand. Alfred only stared at Yao's hand for a moment before smiling and grasping Yao's hand with his own, shaking it.

"Yeah, man. Let's call it a truce." Alfred confirmed.

**Anyway, that's another chapter wrapped up! I hope you all enjoyed it and remember, any feedback is appreciated!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello, hello! As finals are finishing up, I had time to edit a new chapter for you all! **

**DISCLAIMER: Still don't own Hetalia.**

Chapter 9: Run Boy, Run

"So what's the new plan?" Yao asked, picking at a piece of fruit with his fork. Currently, he and Alfred were in the cafeteria, trying to think up a new plan to break up Arthur and Francis.

"Mmff!" Alfred mumbled as he took another bite of his hamburger, only making Yao quirk an eyebrow.

"You know, talking with your mouth full isn't very polite-aru. Plus, I can't understand a word you're saying." the Chinese man said.

Alfred swallowed, repeating his earlier statement, but this time in a dialect that Yao understood.

"I already told you! We make Francis fail his classes." Alfred repeated, pausing to take a sip from his drink. "We have his schedule now and everything!"

"Alfred-aru, I thought we went over this already. Your plan is full of holes." Yao said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh yeah? Name just one." Alfred challenged, crossing his arms.

"How will we get Francis to fail his classes, hm? I already told you a million times. _He gets good grades." _Yao said.

"We'll just bribe the teacher's assistants." Alfred said.

"There's no way in hell we'll be able to bribe all of them-aru. Maybe one or two, but that's it, unless of course you have a secret stash of gold somewhere I don't know about."

"No, but I do have my lunch money!"

"Oh for the love of- look, I'm sure the teacher's assistants won't be swayed by five dollars each." Yao continued to poke holes into Alfred's plan. "We'll need more funds, and we don't have those. We're high school students. Hell, I can barely keep up with a job and my studies-aru."

"You have a job?" Alfred asked, raising a blonde eyebrow. This was certainly news to him.

"Yeah, I got a job. Where do you think I got the money for Kiku's dog? I work at a market down town. It's not too far from my house and I get a discount on ingredients, it helps my family put food on the table." Yao said, shrugging. He took a bite of his fruit, twirling his fork in the air as he continued. "The job's easy enough. I mostly just operate the cash register and bag groceries for people. I just wish some of the customers would be more polite-aru. Honestly, it isn't too hard not to be an ass to people and you should never be disrespectful toward people handling your food." he finished, stabbing another piece of fruit with his utensil.

"Ugh. Sounds boring." Alfred replied, leaning back in his chair slightly. "I know I'd get bored just scanning boxes all day."

"It's not too bad. Talking with the polite customers is nice." Yao said, shrugging. "Though I do see a bunch of people from the school, and for some reason they think since I work there I'll give them food for free-aru."

"Do you?"

"Of course not! Do I look like I want to lose my job? Man, I wouldn't even give Kiku free-" Yao stopped mid sentence, looking past Alfred to someone in behind the blonde.

"Hm?" Alfred tilted his head slightly, waiting for his friend to finish. The blonde tried to wave a hand in from of Yao's face, only earning him the same blank stare. Alfred turned around, seeing who Yao was staring at.

Oh.

Of course he was looking at Kiku for the fifteenth time this week, or was it twentieth? Alfred lost track after the first few times. Currently, the Japanese man was sitting at a table with two other students from the school. Alfred couldn't quite see their faces, but he assumed Kiku was sitting with Ludwig and Feliciano. Those three were close ever since they shared a class in middle school and in the years that came, their bond hadn't faltered in the slightest. Even when Kiku started to hang out with him, Yao, and Arthur, those three still remained close friends. Just what did those three have that Alfred's close group of friends didn't?

Alfred sighed, looking at Yao again. He honestly did feel regret for accidentally breaking Yao and Kiku up, but what could he do? He tried talking to Kiku, but the Japanese man didn't listen. All Kiku did was tell Alfred that he was being selfish.

'_Can't say he wasn't right.' _Alfred thought, a sour look on his face. He found himself questioning his own motives a lot these days. One part of him said that he was doing the right thing, but the other half said he was being a jerk. The blonde let out another sigh.

"Staring at your ex again?" Alfred asked, turning back to Yao.

"Huh? Of course not-aru! I thought I told you I'm over him." Yao replied, crossing his arms and focusing his attention back on the man sitting across the table from him.

"Are you sure? You've been paying him a lot of attention lately." Alfred pressed, skeptical of his friend's claim.

"Yes, I'm sure. I might've gotten him a dog, but that's all I owe him. I will have nothing to do with Kiku Honda anymore. He doesn't want anything to do with me, and I want nothing more to do with him. It's just better if we just cut the other out from our lives completely-aru." Yao said.

"Alright, if you're sure..."

"Yes, I'm sure. Now, about the plan. Since you're so damn persistent on this plan, I guess we can try it."

"Seriously?"

"Let me finish-aru. There's no way in hell your plan will work with how it is now. We need to modify it. A lot." Yao said, tapping his fork against his lunch tray. "First let's look at Francis's schedule and see if either of us share any classes with him."

"Why?"

"Because if we're in the same class as him it'll be a little easier to get a hold of his work." Yao explained. "Jeeze-aru, don't you ever use your brain?"

"Of course I do! That's how I came up with this awesome plan!" Alfred exclaimed, only making his friend roll his eyes.

"Yeah yeah, just get out the schedule so we can plan our next course of action." Yao said.

"Fine..." Alfred said, reaching down to his backpack and unzipping it. The blonde shifted through the binders and papers crammed into his backpack, not finding the schedule he received from the library assistant a few weeks ago. "Oh shit."

"Don't tell me you lost it." Yao pleaded.

"Uh...I think I might've..." Alfred said, a sheepish expression on his face.

"Oh dear God-aru. You couldn't even keep track of a piece of paper?" Yao sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Alright, looks like we need a plan B."

"Wait, hold on. Let me look again. I swear to God I had the schedule in here." Alfred said, looking through his back pack again. It took him a few minutes of searching, but he found a crumpled piece of paper under a binder. The blonde furrowed his eyebrows, taking the crumpled piece of paper and straightening it out.

"Here it is! See? I told you I had it!" Alfred exclaimed, showing Yao the schedule in all of its wrinkled glory.

"That's great, now let's see what classes Francis has..." Yao said, plucking the paper from Alfred's grasp and reading it over.

After a few seconds, Yao put the paper down, an annoyed look on his face.

"It's no good-aru. He doesn't have any classes with either of us."

"What? Oh come on! He _has _to have at least one class with us!" Alfred yelped, only making Yao shake his head.

"I told you, Francis doesn't have any classes with us. We'll just have to think of another plan." he said, pushing the schedule across the table so Alfred could view it.

"Well, I can still become a teacher's assistant in one of his classes and then I'll make him fail in that class." Alfred said, examining the paper. "Now, what class does he have for fourth?"

Alfred's eyes scanned the paper until he found the designated class, his jaw dropping at what he found.

"Woah." he gasped.

"Yeah, woah-aru. He has advanced placement French when you have your Algebra 2 period." Yao confirmed.

"I didn't even know we had an advanced placement French class." Alfred mumbled. "Man, why do we even have a French class here? We're nowhere near France!"

"We have a French class because taking two years of a foreign language is required for graduation." Yao answered. "A second plan would sound really good about now because we really need one."

"But...I can do it! I can become a teacher's assistant for the advanced French class!"

"No you can't-aru. You took Spanish, not French. You don't even know the first thing about the language!"

"Neither do you!"

"That's because I took _Japanese_." Yao hissed. "Why would I take a European language class when I was doing great in a Japanese class?" he added.

"Because-"

"Look, we're getting off topic. Let's just rethink the plan and work from there. This plan was full of holes anyway. We're better off not doing it." Yao interrupted, resting his chin in his hand.

"Dammit!" Alfred cursed. "I thought we were getting somewhere too."

"We are getting somewhere, we just need to rethink things. There's nothing to be gained with going through with a plan that's filled with holes from the beginning-aru." Yao said. "Just calm down, we'll think of something. It's almost time for class to start anyway, so we'll have all next period to think."

"Huh?" Alfred questioned, looking at the clock on a nearby wall. Sure enough, they had about ten minutes before passing period began. Alfred groaned.

This was going to be a long class period.

* * *

><p>Alfred out of his classroom a full one hour and forty minutes later, his back sore after being slumped over on his desk for such a long time. His class was boring, as per usual. The teacher droned on about something or another, Alfred couldn't tell, nor did he care. He just needed to come up with another plan to break Arthur and Francis up. No inspiration had come to him during his last class and his brain was numb from the lecture.<p>

Luckily, the perfect opportunity landed in his lap. Or more like walked up to him in the halls.

As Alfred walked to his locker, a familiar voice called out to him, one belong to a blonde he knew all too well.

"Alfred! May I talk with you for a moment?" Francis asked, running up to Alfred.

"Huh?" Alfred asked, unsure of what else to say. Why was Francis coming to him of all people to talk? They weren't exactly friends, but Francis didn't seem to know they were enemies either. Alfred wasn't even sure if they were completely enemies per say, maybe rivals? Yeah, rivals sounded about right.

"Alfred? Are you alright?" Francis asked, tilting his head to the side.

Oh yeah, he should probably say something, huh?

"Huh? Oh, ye-yeah. I'm okay." Alfred replied, shaking his head a little. He would have plenty of time to think later for now he should see what Francis wanted.

"Are you sure you're alright? I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but you seem a little...out of it." Francis said, scratching his chin. "Are your classes giving you too much work or something?"

"Nah, my classes are fine. Just life, you know?" Alfred replied, brushing the French man's concern off.

"Hm...alright. But if you ever need to talk, I'm here and Arthur is too."

Now that comment shocked Alfred. This guy was supposed to be a jackass, the one who stole Arthur from him and ruined the bond his group of friends once had. But instead, he was being nice. Really nice. He shouldn't be being this nice. Was he trying to manipulate him?

Alfred searched Francis's face, looking for any possible signs of deception and he found none. Instead, Alfred only found genuine concern in the other blonde's expression.

"Uh...yeah, thanks. That means a lot to me." Alfred said, still a little shaken by Francis's earlier comment.

"Of course. I know what it's like to not have anyone to talk to. To feel alone in the world." Francis said, a mournful smile on his face.

"What?"

"Oh, sorry! Ha ha, I guess I got off topic there. Anyway, can we talk somewhere more...private? I don't really want to talk about this when the whole student body is around us." Francis said, quickly changing the subject. Alfred only raised an eyebrow at the other blonde's words, wondering why he was so eager to change the subject.

"Er...yeah, sure. We can go down the hall and talk. No one will want to stay after school." Alfred said.

The two blondes walked down a secluded hall, making sure no one was around to listen in to their conversation.

"So what did you need to talk to me about?" Alfred asked.

"I wanted some advice, actually."

Alfred tilted his head, puzzled by the French man's request.

"Alright, I can't promise I'll give the best advice ever, but I'll try to help you. What did you need?" Alfred asked.

"Well, you're Arthur's closest friend right?"

"Uh huh." Alfred answered even though he wasn't quite sure about the honesty of Francis's statement.

"Well, I need advice on what to give Arthur as a present. Our two month anniversary is in a couple of weeks and I wanted to get him something special." Francis confessed, rubbing his arm. "I know the basics of what he likes, but I thought about getting him something like tea or something, but...it just didn't seem special enough for him."

"Oh...okay." Alfred replied lamely. What the hell should he say to that? He could always tell Francis something to get Arthur something that he would absolutely hate. A pet tarantula, a pair of handcuffs, Hell, Arthur would even hate a gift card to Mcdonalds! The possibilities were endless, so why couldn't Alfred just say one of them?

"So...what do you think?" Francis asked. "What should I get him?"

"Um...well, he likes poetry." Alfred stammered. "You can take him to a poetry reading or something."

"Oh! I never thought of that. Do you know what kind of poetry he likes? Perhaps there is one particular poet he likes?" Francis asked.

"Um..." Alfred racked his brain for any poets Arthur absolutely hated. Of course, none came to mind. "I'm not too sure, sorry." he lied instead.

"Hm...well what else does he like? Any particular flavors of tea or any particular kinds of food?" Francis continued to ask.

"Hm...he likes earl green tea I think...I think that's his favorite." Alfred said, trying to think of a plan to undermine Francis's efforts.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

"Hey, why don't you take him to an English place to eat? Arthur was always telling me about how he missed England and stuff." Alfred suggested.

"That sounds a great idea! I bet that Arthur will love to have a taste of home."

"Yeah, I think that there's a place that has a little bit of everything. It's a place called _The Cottage_ and it's a little way down town. The food there is really good and the service is awesome. Maybe you can even arrange something for the occasion like maybe the employees can sing to him or something." Alfred said.

"That sounds wonderful! I can't wait to see the happy look on his face when he sees the surprise!" Francis exclaimed. Alfred could tell the other blonde was excited already, judging by how the French man was bouncing ever so slightly. "Thank you so much, I really appreciate your help."

"Oh yeah, no problem! I want you both to be happy." Alfred replied in a giddy tone, the happiest he'd been in a while. But his happiness was for a completely different reason. He finally latched onto something he can use, a situation he could use to try to break Francis and Arthur up again. Oh, wait until Yao heard about this!

"No but seriously, thank you so much for all of your help. I'm glad Arthur has such a trustworthy person to call his best friend." Francis said, a calm smile gracing his features. "He talks about you a lot you know."

"Huh? He does?" Alfred asked, shocked once again. Arthur forgot about him when he was with his boyfriend, right?

"Yes, yes he does. He's always talking to me about all of the fun things you both have done together. He told me about the time you both tried to steal a dog from the SPCA." Francis said, chuckling lightly.

"A-ah...he told you about that old story?" Alfred mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. Truthfully, Alfred remembered that day like it had happened yesterday. Arthur's mom once worked at the local SPCA down the street and Arthur had wanted a dog. However, since one of Arthur's brothers was allergic to any kind of dog, the Kirkland family had no canines to speak of. That didn't stop Arthur though, who had his eyes set on a corgi mix in the SPCA where his mom worked. Somehow he had recruited Alfred into helping him smuggle the corgi mix out of the building. Arthur said he would call the dog truffles, on account of the dog's coloring. The two boys didn't even manage to get down the hall before a staff member caught them though. Luckily, Arthur's mom defused the situation before it could get too bad.

"Yep, well, that one and many others. It seems like you two have been through a lot together." Francis said. "It always makes me happy to see such a strong friendship."

"Oh...I see." Alfred said. This conversation was beginning to make him feel uncomfortable. Why was Francis being so nice?

"You know, I think we got off on the wrong foot." Francis continued, adopting a serious expression to replace the care free expression he wore only a few moments ago.

"How did you-"

"Arthur told me about your concerns along with the conversation you both had a little while ago."

"Oh...ha ha, I can't believe he told you about that." Alfred said, his gaze drifting down in favor of the tile on the ground.

"I would just like to say that it was not my intention to steal Arthur from you or your group and I'm sorry if I unintentionally caused a rift between the two of you. You must believe me when I say that was never my goal." Francis spoke, crossing his arms. "Had I known you felt the way you did, I would have talked to you sooner."

"Oh no, it's fine, really. I just want you two to be happy, you know?" Alfred said, already starting to back up.

"Are you sure you're alright though? Even Arthur has noticed a change in your personality he said that you-"

"I'm fine, really! There's no need to worry about me! Please, just continue on with your relationship and be happy! Good luck with your date I mean, anniversary! Make him swoon!" Alfred called over his shoulder as he bolted from the hallway and left a baffled Francis behind.

Alfred ran. He ran down the hallway and straight out of the building, he just needed to get away from Francis right now. The conversation was hitting a little too close to home and Francis was becoming a better and better person by the minute.

The fact that Francis was such a good person made Alfred's wrong doings all the more clearer.

He ran and ran, trying to escape his inner conflicting feelings. He ran until his lungs and legs burned. He ran until he was heaving for air, his hands on his knees as he crouched over to catch his breath. He should be far enough now.

Alfred looked back at the school building a few blocks away, hoping that Francis would stay there and not follow him.

And as he had done for the past few weeks, Alfred began to question his motives again.

**That ends another chapter! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it and any kind of feedback is appreciated! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello everyone! So...I'm sure you've all noticed that it's been a while since I've updated this story, or anything really. First of all, I would like to apologize for that. I now have college work to attend to and sometimes I just lose motivation for a while. However, neither of those are excuses so I typed up a chapter for the lovely people who are showing their support for the story and hoping for an update! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy! **

**DISCLAIMER: Still don't own Hetalia.**

Chapter 10: Advancement

_"I'm glad Arthur has such a trustworthy person to call his best friend." _

_"He talks about you a lot you know." _

_"Even Arthur has noticed a change in your personality he even said that you-" _

Alfred shot up in bed, waking up from yet another flashback of yesterday's conversation with Francis. The night was a rough one for Alfred. The conversation he and Francis had kept replaying over and over in his dreams.

The blonde ran a hand through his hair as he looked over at a nearby alarm clock. Seven in the morning. It was time to get up, and Alfred knew he should get ready for the day, but he couldn't bring himself to move out of the comfort of his bed. He didn't even feel like going to school today. The last thing he wanted to do was to see Francis and Arthur. Knowing Francis, he probably told Arthur everything, and after knowing the English man for years, Alfred knew the Brit wouldn't just sit back and watch as a conflict erupted between two people very close to him.

The blonde groaned, hiding his face in his hands as he leaned back on his bed. Why was he having second thoughts now? When he and Yao first started this plan, he was all aboard! He was one hundred percent for it and even more sure it would work! But now it seemed that his revolve had taken a hit by some unknown force and it was now crumbling under the weight of his conscience. Alfred rolled over onto his side, glancing at the alarm clock on his bed side drawer once again.

Fifteen minutes past seven.

Sighing, Alfred rolled out of bed, his mind groggy and only half conscious. His limbs felt heavy and Alfred found it difficult to keep his eyes open. He didn't feel like going to school this morning, and if he could he would skip the school day altogether. But he couldn't. He needed to tell Yao about the new development in the plan to break Francis and Arthur up.

Alfred walked over to his bedroom door, peeking through a small opening to see if anyone was in the halls. He wasn't sure why he peeked out the door everyday, seeing as his parents were probably already at work, but old habits died hard, and the habit had made him feel safer when he was a child.

Deeming the hallway clear, Alfred stepped out of the confines of his bedroom, walking to his home's bathroom down the hall. Upon entering the bathroom, the first thing he did was use the toilet in the corner of the small wash room. After finishing his bodily functions, he washed his hands and splashed some water on his face, hoping to wake himself up to prepare for the day ahead. He looked in the mirror, noticing the heavy bags under his eyes.

Tilting his head, he poked one of the bags, examining it. When had these appeared? He was sure they weren't there yesterday. Alfred only sighed again, rubbing his temples. He told himself that the bags were from his lack of sleep and continued his morning routine.

Alfred picked up a nearby brush, combing it through his disheveled hair once or twice. He then proceeded to wipe his face with a warm towel, brushing his teeth quickly after. Of course he would have to put on deodorant and new clothes too, but those things could wait for a few more seconds. His basic morning routine wasn't anything extensive or special, but it was quick and efficient.

Even as he completed his morning routine, Alfred's thoughts drifted back to the conversation he and Francis had the day before. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel bad about ruining the relationship between Francis and Arthur. No matter how hard he tried to deny it, Francis was really a nice guy and Arthur was one of his closest friends.

"Just because Francis is a nice guy, it doesn't mean he's the right guy for Arthur." Alfred told his reflection, repeating the words like a mantra as he continued to get ready.

* * *

><p>About forty minutes later, Alfred walked into the first class of his day, his advance placement world history class with Mr. Hans. He was a few minutes late, but luckily Mr. Hans seemed to be late as well, so Alfred wasn't penalized for his late arrival.<p>

"Glad one thing is going right today." Alfred mumbled, taking a seat near the back of the room. Lost in his thoughts, Alfred didn't notice Yao walk up to him until he heard the shorter man's voice coaxing him into reality.

"Alfred-aru? Hey, wake up! Are you in there?" the brunette asked, waving a hand in front of Alfred's face.

"Hunh?" Alfred replied, still half asleep. "Sorry, I was out of it."

"Yeah, I can tell." Yao said, plopping down in the seat next to Alfred. "You look awful-aru. What happened? Why are you so poo poo faced?"

"Well gee, thanks, Yao." Alfred grumbled. "Let me call you the next time I need an ego boost."

"Just being honest-aru. But seriously, what's up?" Yao asked, taking a quick glance around the room to make sure Mr. Hans didn't make a surprise appearance.

"The same thing that's been up all week." Alfred said, pointing toward Arthur, who sat near the front of the room.

"Struggling with your romantic feelings toward your former best friend-aru?"

"Yeah wait- no! I thought I told you I don't like him like that." Alfred hissed the last part, glancing up at Arthur to make sure the Brit hadn't heard.

Yao only rolled his eyes before replying.

"Yeah, yeah. Just like I'm not Chinese either-aru." he said. "You know, my psychology class taught me that suppressing your emotions usually results in-"

"Good morning class!" A voice boomed from the door, making both Yao and Alfred snap up their heads toward the source.

Of course, it was Mr. Hans, ten minutes late to his own class. He seemed oddly cheerful for some reason.

"Sorry-aru, gotta go!" Yao said, rushing back to his seat near the front of the class, near Kiku.

'_Poor Yao.' _ Alfred thought, watching as his friend set up his supplies on the desks provided for them. It must have been pretty damn awkward for Yao to sit next to his ex who he probably still had feelings for.

Alfred wasn't blind, and he certainly wasn't an idiot. He could tell Yao still liked Kiku and it wouldn't surprise him if everyone else could tell too.

After all, who the hell would get their ex a dog besides Yao?

Alfred sighed for the nth time that day, turning toward Mr. Hans, who had made his way to the podium in front of the room and was now explaining why he was so late to his own class.

"I'm sorry for making you all wait! As you all know, my wife is pregnant and well, we thought she was going to give birth today! The baby was a little early, and we had to get up at four in the morning to rush to the hospital. We got everything ready and after two hours of preparing for the birth, the baby gave up!" Mr. Hans said, making half the class gasp.

"Is..is the baby dead?" one girl asked.

"Hm? Oh, no! The baby is fine and healthy! It just procrastinated its own birth!" Mr. Hans replied, chuckling slightly.

After that statement, the students in the room sat in a stunned silence, Alfred among them.

_'How does a baby procrastinate its own birth?' _ Alfred thought, cringing slightly.

The stunned silence in the classroom only made Mr. Hans laugh louder, making a few students sink deeper into their seats.

"Well, now that you've all had your share of current events, let's begin with today's lecture on Israel!" he said, slamming his hands on the podium in front of him.

And that was when Alfred tuned Mr. Hans out.

The American looked around the room, seeing Kiku hunched over his desk. He was probably being a good student and taking notes. Alfred looked over at Arthur next, who was getting his materials out. He was also a good student.

Lastly, Alfred looked at Yao who like Arthur and Kiku, was taking down notes.

Yao was such a good student. Time to fix that.

Alfred crumpled up a piece of paper, throwing the ball at the back of Yao's head to gain the other man's attention.

The first ball had no effect, so Alfred was forced to make another one, this time putting a small eraser on the crumpled piece of paper to give the ball more weight. Like he had with the first one, Alfred threw the ball at the back of Yao's head, or at least he tried to.

Instead, he ended up hitting some poor girl in the back of the head because his aim was off.

The girl had long brown hair and a flower pin in her hair, and boy did she look angry when she turned back and glared at Alfred.

Alfred mouthed an apology and pointed to Yao who sat near the girl, hoping she got the message. She only rolled her eyes and tapped Yao on the shoulder, the Chinese man turning to the girl before turning back to stare at Alfred.

**_'What?' _**he mouthed, taking a quick glance at Mr. Hans to make sure he wasn't paying attention to his side conversation.

'**_I have something to tell you.' _**Alfred mouthed back, making the appropriate hand gestures where necessary.

'**_Can't it wait?' _** Yao mouthed back, jerking his head toward Mr. Hans, who was still lecturing the class.

'**_I'll tell you at lunch.' _** Alfred mouthed.

Yao only rolled his eyes before returning to his notes, leaving Alfred to his thoughts. The blonde looked at Mr. Hans, who didn't seem to be willing to stop his lecture anytime soon. Alfred looked up at the clock, hoping to God the period was almost over.

Only twenty minutes had passed.

Alfred groaned, resting his face in his hands. This was going to be the worst class period of his life.

* * *

><p>"So-aru, you're telling me that Francis came to <em>you<em> for advice?" Yao asked later at lunch, shoveling a forkful of noodles into his mouth.

"Yeah, man. He just came up to me after class and asked what he should get for him and Arthur's anniversary." Alfred confirmed, picking up his drink and taking a sip.

After hours and hours of classes, Alfred and Yao were finally let out for lunch and the two students were currently sitting at a lunch table in the far corner away in the cafeteria, and away from the other students.

"Huh, that's weird-aru. I guess he doesn't know you hate him." Yao said, shrugging.

"I guess not. But dude, a few things he said really bothered me."

"Oh really now? And what did Francis say that bothered you so much?"

"Well-"

"Oh, is this the reason why you were so poo poo faced this morning?" Yao asked, pointing his fork in Alfred's direction.

"If you would let me finish, I would be happy to answer your question." Alfred said, playfully punching Yao in the shoulder.

"Alright-aru, continue then. Francis's words must have been pretty weird if they managed to make the great Alfred F. Jones quiver!" Yao said. Alfred only leaned in closer, making a quick glance around the room to make sure neither Francis or Arthur were in sight.

"He kept being all nice to me and stuff." Alfred whispered, shifting his eyes around the room once again.

"Isn't that just common courtesy-aru? I mean, I can't imagine anyone would want someone to be an ass to them out of the blue." Yao said.

"No, you don't understand. It was _genuinely _nice. Like purely, truly nice. Like so nice you know it's not fake nice. You know?"

"I...don't quite follow you. Take a lesson from our english class and elaborate."

"He kept saying how Arthur always talked about me and how I was so trustworthy and kind and stuff, but get this, _it gets weirder_." Alfred said.

"Oh? How is that so?" Yao asked, finishing his noodles and moving onto a small bowl of rice he chose as a side dish for his lunch.

"He said that he thought that we got off on the wrong foot and he apologized."

"He apologized? What did he apologize for?" Yao asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"He said he was sorry that I felt like he took Arthur away from the group. Apparently Arthur told him everything we talked about." Alfred said.

"Woah, woah, you and Arthur chatted recently-aru? This sure is news to me!" Yao exclaimed.

"Huh? I didn't tell you?"

"No, you didn't. Now cough it up, what happened when you were alone with your crush?"

"Dude! I thought I told you, he's _not _my crush!" Alfred denied.

"You're just prolonging the inevitable, but let's just pretend I never said that Arthur is your crush and continue our discussion about your talk with him."

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Anyway, Arthur said that he didn't forget about us."

"Oh did he now? Well he could've fooled me-aru" Yao said, sipping his drink. "He was the one acting like we didn't exist after he started going out with Francis."

"I know right? But he said he stayed away from us so he wouldn't rub his relationship in our faces." Alfred said.

"Huh, sounds like an excuse if you ask me-aru." Yao replied, shrugging.

"I don't know, Yao. He didn't seem like he was lying."

"Honestly Alfred-aru, I think you'd believe anything that came out of Arthur's mouth, truth or lie."

"What? Dude, no I wouldn't!"

"Didn't you once tell me about a time where Arthur claimed he was the Prince of England and you believed him-aru?" Yao said.

"I- That was different! I was what, ten? I didn't know people were capable of lying!"

"You're such a child."

"I am not!"

"Yes you are-aru. Now, what else did you have to tell me?"

"What?" Alfred asked, puzzled.

"You know, the thing you interrupted my education for."

"I don't-"

"The one you tried to tell me about in World History this morning!" Yao hissed.

"Oh yeah, that! I remember now!" Alfred said, laughing. Yao only sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Be quiet, you're going to attract too much attention to our table. Now, what did you need to tell me that was oh so important?"

"Dude, you won't believe this! So you know how Francis asked me what to do for his and Arthur's anniversary?" Alfred asked.

"Yes, yes. How could I possibly forget? We just talked about that conversation a few minutes ago. I'm not that forgetful you know." Yao replied. "Anyway, continue."

"Well, I recommended Francis take Arthur out to an English place to eat and I suggested one to him!" Alfred said in a giddy tone.

"You didn't suggest he go to-"

"Yes! I told him to go to that Cottage place and he seemed totally into it! Dude, I had him eating out of the palm of my hand!" Alfred said.

"Ah, so we have a lead now. Well that's certainly a step in the right direction. But when is Francis going to take Arthur to the place to eat?" Yao asked.

"He said in a couple of weeks, so we'll just have to eavesdrop on them until we get the date and time! It's look really weird if I just ask him out of the blue about where and when he's gonna be there, you know?"

"Agreed-aru."

"Or...we can do a stakeout! Yeah, we can eat there every night and see when they come in!" Alfred suggested.

"Er...let's just stick with eavesdropping. You know and I know that we don't have enough money to get a place at the Cottage every night and I have after school clubs I have to attend to. I can't miss those because of your insane plan. Whatever that is-aru."

"It's simple, we'll just ruin their anniversary and then Arthur will break up with Francis! It's fool proof!"

"That's what you said about the last one-aru." Yao said.

"But this one will be different! It has a hundred percent successes rate! There's no way it can fail!"

"What makes you so sure-aru?" Yao asked, skeptical.

"I just have a feeling." Alfred replied.

"Yeah, is it the same as my feeling of deja vu?"

"What? What's deja vu?" Alfred asked.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me-aru. You really don't know what it is?" Yao said.

"No I don't. That's why I asked you dude!"

"Oh for God's sake-aru. Deja vu is the feeling that something has happened before."

"This hasn't happened before though! This is a new plan and it'll succeed for sure!"

"It may be a new plan-aru, but it has the same components. We're basically going to mess up another date of theirs. Let's hope this one actually works." Yao said.

"Of course it'll work! You'll see! We just need to get the date and time and then we'll just figure out how to mess up their date and it'll be fine." Alfred said. Yao wished he could've had as much confidence in the plan as his blonde friend.

"You're talking as if the plan will be so easy to accomplish." Yao said.

"Because it will! It's just going to be messing up their anniversary! Come on, we can do this! You're just worrying too much."

"I'm not worrying!" Yao hissed.

"You'll just have to-"

"Shush! Look, I'm not worrying one bit. I'll get the info and I'll report back to you and then we can go from there."

"Really?"

"Yeah, just leave it to me-aru. If you do it the plan won't work. You'll just mess it up."

"Hey, no I won't! There's no way I'm messing up this plan!" Alfred protested.

"Yeah right. Just leave the sneaking around to me, okay?" Yao said.

"But-"

"Calm down and let me handle this-aru."

"Alright, but tell me if you need help, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah-aru. Now who's worrying a bunch? It'll be fine."

"Okay then, I'll leave the plan in your capable hands, Yao." Alfred said, flashing a grin.

Yao showed a fake smile of his own. He knew he shouldn't lie, but this was for the happiness of his friends. If this plan allowed everyone to be happy again, so be it.

Even as Yao repeated the reasoning in his head, the feeling of dread that bubbled up in his chest didn't go away.

**And that ends another chapter! Again, sorry for the long hiatus and hopefully I'll be able to update more often on all of my stories. Thank you to the people who have stuck with me this far, and I hope this chapter was worth the wait~ any form of feedback is appreciated!**


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